Australia-Indonesia Coordination Meeting on Geotourism
A zoom coordination meeting on geotourism was undertaken on Friday 27 January 2023 between a number of interested parties from Indonesia and Australia. The AusIMM Geoscience society is a long-term active supporter of the Australian geotourism initiative. The purpose of the meeting was to start a dialog to develop collaboration for the ongoing development of geotourism in each country.
INDONESIA
Indonesia has 6 UNESCO listed geoparks, 4 aspiring UNESCO listed geoparks and 9 national geoparks. Farid Z Mohammed introduced Rinjani-Lombok UNESCO Global Geopark that includes 22 geological sites, 8 natural sites and 17 cultural sites.
There is close cooperation between various levels of government, community, companies, media and academia. The geopark team includes 6 scientists, plus 3 from business & economy, 3 engineers, 2 arts & humanities, 1 law and 1 tourism. More than 20 local and international institutions have signed agreements with the geopark.
The park supports various community programs, along with workshops, training and sustainability projects. Visitors can experience geo-trails, culinary, with certified guide, homestay, souvenirs and local culture. Promotion includes a youth forum, social media, creative hub and geopark products.
Meihva Ang (Meli), introduced a wider view of geotourism development in Indonesia. Some of the challenges facing the evolving Indonesian geopark industry include developing supportive research, simplifying academic language for tourists, the development of marine geoparks etc. There is an upcoming Geotourism Festivals International Conference in Lombok on 20-23 July 2023. See www.geofest.rinjanigeopark.com
AUSTRALIA
Angus M Robinson, on behalf of the National Geotourism Strategy (NGS) of the Australian Geoscience Council Inc (AGC), presented the challenges Australia is having with the development geoparks in Australia.
The AGC, AusIMM Geoscience society and other bodies support the development of geoparks as an initiative to educate the broader community on the value of geoscience, potential employment opportunities for geoscientists, and promoting tourism, geo-heritage, mining etc.
Between 2008 and 2018 there were three unsuccessful attempts at UNESCO Global Geopark listings. Some causes for this failure included lack of support from government, industry and local land holders reflecting a general fear that UNESCO recognition would place unreasonable limits on farming, mining, and local social activities within such areas, and that existing mechanisms were considered sufficient to protect geo-heritage and support tourism.
The Australian Governments new “THRIVE 2030 Visitor Economy Strategy”, now provides a key role for geotourism in integrating natural and cultural heritage tourism interest. A new NGS concept of Geo- Regions has been submitted to the Geoscience Working Group (GWG) for approval.
This Geo-Regions concept is designed to be the first step along the pathway to geopark development in Australia. Three pilot projects are proposed, two of which are recognized tourist areas in New South Wales, and one very remote site in Western Australia has unique geology. Attention was also drawn to the Australian Earth Sciences Convention 27- 30 June 2023 to be held in Perth. See https://aesc2023.com.au/
Source; Geoscience graduate numbers plummet - Mining Magazine