What is a Geopark?

A Geopark is an area with an expressed geological heritage and a strategy for a sustainable economical development, and the promotion of that very development to the benefit of the local community.

The Geopark Vis Archieplago is a part of the European and Global UNESCO Geoparks Network, whose main goals are protection, education and a sustainable development.

Protection
Geoparks protect different geological specialities by exploring and promoting new ways and methods of protection. The administrations of Geoparks provide different measures of protection in cooperation with universities and scientific institutes, along with various management figures of local communities. The Geoparks must function in the way of local laws and tradition.

Education
Geoparks organise different activities and provide logistic support in carrying over various acknowledgements in the areas of geoscience and the science of environment towards the public. This is done through protection and the promotion of geomonuments, founding and creating of museums, information centres, roads and trips with expert leadership, publishing of popular-scientific literature and educational materials, organisation of seminars, etc.

Geoparks encourage scientific research, establish connections with colleges and other exploration institutes, and induce dialogue between geoscientists and local communities.

Sustainable development
The main way of encouraging economy and a sustainable development of parks is through geotourism. Geoparks use their activities to attract a large number of visitors and enable the founding of different manufacturing and utilities which help improve the social-economical development of the community.

What makes an area a Geopark?
A Geopark must contain a few geologically or geomorphologically important locations of interest to a wider community. These locations can be important by their scientific value, rarity, aesthetic or educational importance. Geoparks do not only benefit from geologically interesting locations, but also from various ecological, archaeological, historical and cultural notability. Geoparks are run by local communities which can recognise and wish to confirm their geological, historical and cultural heritage, mostly through the idea of geotourism.

All Geoparks must not only be active by local means, but also by the means of the Geopark community, and thus cooperate on mutual projects and exchange of ideas for the improvement of promoting their activities.

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