„Green Card“ for the UNESCO Global Geopark Harz. Braunschweiger Land. Ostfalen again

Königslutter am Elm/Quedlinburg

The UNESCO Global Geopark Harz . Braunschweiger Land . Ostfalen will remain part of the international network of UNESCO Geoparks for the next four years. As part of the regular revalidation, the Geopark has once again received the coveted „Green Card“, confirming its successful work in the areas of education, sustainable development, and the protection of its geological heritage.

With a total area of almost 10,000 square kilometres, the Harz . Braunschweiger Land . Ostfalen Geopark is currently considered the largest UNESCO Global Geopark in Europe. During the assessment, the quality of work and ongoing development in the areas of management, infrastructure, educational outreach, sustainable development, protection of geological heritage, and international cooperation will be examined.

As part of the revalidation process, two inspectors commissioned by UNESCO travelled through the Geopark area for several days: Sarina from Mongolia and Alberto Gil Toja from Spain. They gained a comprehensive impression of the projects and structures on site. The resulting evaluation report formed an essential basis for the renewed awarding of the „Green Card“.

In addition to confirming the successful work, UNESCO also issued recommendations for the further development of the geopark. These include, in particular, further improving the geopark's visibility through additional information boards and English translations, further measures in the area of geotourism, and the continuation of educational offerings, for example through new educational concepts.

The two operators of the Harz . Braunschweiger Land . Ostfalen Geopark are the Geopark-Trägerverein Braunschweiger Land – Ostfalen e. V., based in Königslutter am Elm, and the Harzverband e. V., based in Quedlinburg. Both offices work closely together and are coordinated by a joint steering group and a joint advisory board. The Geopark is one of the eight German UNESCO Global Geoparks and is part of an international network with currently 229 UNESCO Geoparks in 48 countries worldwide.

The so-called revalidation takes place every four years for all UNESCO Global Geoparks. This process verifies whether the high requirements of UNESCO continue to be met and if the Geopark is continuously developing in terms of content and organisation. For the Harz . Braunschweiger Land . Ostfalen Geopark, this was already the sixth successful international review since its inclusion in the global network.

Photo (from l. to r.):
Esther Czymoch (Head of Department Geopark at the Quedlinburg office), Dr. Gösta Hoffmann (German Commission for UNESCO, Advisory Centre for UNESCO Global Geoparks) and Dr. Henning Zellmer (Head of the Königslutter am Elm office) during the certificate handover.