Introduction

In recent decades, geotourism has become a global phenomenon. Nowadays, many countries such as China, Norway, Mexico, Honduras, Romania and Cook Islands make geotourism their strategy for tourism development.  Most of these countries set up geoparks as a means to promote geotourism and nature conservation.  Among these countries, China perhaps is the most enthusiastic one. One important driving force is The Chinese Academy of Tourism Earthscience and Geopark Research (CATEGR) under the Geological Society of China which has pioneered and promoted the geopark and geological tourism movement since 1982.  In fact, China is the first country in the world to approve the establishment of national geopark.  So far, 27 Chinese geoparks have been listed as global geoparks by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).  Thanks to her large territory and complicated geographical setting, China is the country that has the largest number of national and global geoparks across the world. 

Despite there is a limited area of 1108 km², Hong Kong has a remarkably rich geodiversity. Hong Kong Geopark was opened on 3rd Nov. 2009 as the 139th National Geopark of China and was later listed as a member of the Global Geopark Network (GGN) by UNESCO on 17th September, 2011.  Not only Hong Kong Geopark earmarks the determination of Hong Kong society to protect her geological heritage, but the park also is an effective tool for geotourism development.  The establishment of Hong Kong Global Geopark opens new directions to research.  One potential direction is to apply the advanced geo-information science and technology to facilitate the sustainable development of the geopark.

In this three-day workshop, leading scholars in GeoDesign, VGE and World Geopark will exchange their ideas on world geopark planning and conservation. The workshop will consist of a Hong Kong Geopark tour, research presentations, and a hands-on training class.  Geoinformation platforms, mainly geographic information systems (GIS) and virtual geographic environments (VGE) will be introduced to support the design and management of geoparks.  The organizers of this workshop expect to see more interesting ideas and proposals generated from the academic exchange during this meeting.

Co-organizers

• Graduate School of Design, Harvard University
• Institute of Space and Earth Information Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (ISEIS, CUHK)

Sponsor

• China Association (H.K.) for Science and Society Ltd.

Date and Venue

3 Nov 2013
Tour to Hong Kong Global Geopark

4-5 Nov 2013
The Chinese University of Hong Kong