Latest news with #GlobalGeopark
The Star
24-07-2025
- The Star
Unesco begins reassessment of Lake Toba's Global Geopark status
JAKARTA: Unesco assessors have begun the revalidation process of Lake Toba in North Sumatra, as local authorities strive to maintain the site's Global Geopark status following a 'yellow card' warning issued in 2023. Azizul Kholis, general manager of the Toba Caldera Global Geopark Management, said the revalidation process aims to ensure that Lake Toba Geopark meets Unesco's standards. 'The assessment will span five days, from Monday to Friday. Unesco assessors Jose Brilha from Portugal and Jeon Yong Mun from South Korea will visit key sites across several regencies around Lake Toba,' he said on Monday. 'While they won't cover all 16 geosites in Lake Toba, the assessors will focus on representative areas showcasing the region's geology, biology and cultural heritage,' he added. Covering more than 1,145sq km and reaching depths of up to 450m, Lake Toba is the world's largest volcanic crater lake and one of the deepest lakes globally. It is also the largest lake in South-East Asia, renowned for its stunning natural beauty and the prominent Samosir Island situated at its centre. The body of water was created by a super-volcanic eruption some 74,000 years ago, the impacts of which reached Africa and Europe. The eruption is believed to have been the largest in the past two million years. Unesco granted Global Geopark status to the Toba Caldera in 2020, following a nine-year effort by the Indonesian government. The proposal was first submitted in 2011 but faced two rejections, in 2014 and again in 2017, before finally being approved. However, just three years after receiving the designation, the Toba Caldera was issued a yellow card by Unesco. A yellow card is a formal warning issued by Unesco during its four-year revalidation cycle, signalling that a Geopark no longer meets required standards. The designation comes with a two-year grace period to address the identified shortages. Failure to make substantial improvements within that time may lead to a 'red card', which results in the loss of Unesco Global Geopark status. The Tourism Ministry said the yellow card warning was issued due to poor management and governance of Lake Toba, with Unesco evaluators citing limited involvement of local communities in sustainable tourism initiatives. The site also lacks standardised information at its geosites and sufficient supporting infrastructure. Unesco has also demanded ongoing research at the geosites, stronger collaboration among relevant institutions and improved education on the geological, biological and cultural significance of Lake Toba. Yudha Pratiwi, head of North Sumatra's Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy Agency, expressed concern that recent forest and land fires on Samosir Island could jeopardise the ongoing Unesco revalidation process. 'However, we anticipated the risk and have taken appropriate measures to address it,' he said. Forest fires are raging across several parts of Sumatra as the dry season intensifies, including in North Sumatra. Since the beginning of the month, wildfires have scorched more than 100 hectares of land on Samosir Island and in areas surrounding Lake Toba. The fires have also claimed the life of a farmer in Parsingguran II village, Humbang Hasundutan regency. The North Sumatra Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) has deployed four firefighting teams to wildfire-prone areas as a precaution, particularly in locations set to be visited by Unesco assessors, officials said. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
North Wales Chronicle
21-07-2025
- North Wales Chronicle
UNESCO evaluators visit Ynys Môn for Global Geopark review
Ynys Môn MP, Llinos Medi, welcomed UNESCO evaluators Suzana Fajmut Struci and Alexandru Andrasanu to the island. The evaluators toured geological and cultural sites during their trip, which is part of the formal assessment process that will determine whether Ynys Môn retains its UNESCO Global Geopark status - a status which only one other site in Wales holds, and which just 220 sites in total hold worldwide. Ynys Môn's holding of the status is due to its containing rock formations from "nearly every geological period" (in the words of a spokesperson), which collectively tell the story of 1.8 billion years of the history of Earth. Ms Medi said: "It was fantastic to welcome the UNESCO evaluators and show them our 'can‑do island' spirit - strong partnerships, hard work, and determination. "This status helps protect our environment, boost education, attract tourism, and create jobs right here at home. "I want to thank the dedicated team at GeoMôn, and all the volunteers who work so hard to share our geological heritage with the world." Earlier this month, Ms Medi tabled a parliamentary motion acknowledging the global significance of Ynys Môn's geology and praising GeoMôn's efforts. She also raised the issue in Parliament, calling for greater recognition of the island's educational and environmental value. She said: "We're incredibly lucky to live on an island that shows 1.8 billion years of Earth's story. "I want to make sure that Ynys Môn continues to be recognised and celebrated globally for its unique landscape." Gary Pritchard, leader of Ynys Môn county council, said: "As the leader of the council I am extremely proud to support GeoMôn during the revalidation of our island's UNESCO Global Geopark status. "The work that GeoMôn's volunteers do is exceptional, and a vital asset to our island in the areas of education, heritage, and tourism.' A spokesman for Bangor Business School added: "We value the opportunities that the UNESCO Global Geopark status provides as a rich context for both teaching and research. READ MORE: Anglesey residents celebrate £400K Postcode Lottery windfall "Within our Tourism Management programme, it enriches student fieldwork and lecture content, and supports students' engagement with sustainable tourism. "We hope UNESCO will revalidate Ynys Môn's Global Geopark status." More information about UNESCO's Global Geoparks is available at
Forbes
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Natural Opportunities for Conflict Resolution with North Korea
Western rim of Heaven Lake in the caldera of the Changbaishan volcano on the border between China ... More and North Korea. A Chinese soldier takes a leisurely photo with his phone viewing the North Korean side of the border. Photo by Last week, I found myself literally a stone's throw away from North Korea (or officially the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea – DPRK). During a visit to the Chinese city of Yanji, my hosts informed me that this was the perfect season to visit a sacred dormant volcano known as Changbaishan (called Paekdu or Baekdu in Korean). Crowning the caldera at over 9,000 feet above sea level is 'Heaven Lake' which is on the border between North Korea and China and constitutes a designated UNESCO biosphere reserve. Standing on the rim of the enchanting lake, I could see the North Korean soldier encampment. The Chinese have forbidden any fishing or boating on the lake due to conservation commitments, but our guide informed us that occasionally North Korean soldiers will venture with a boat for fishing in the lake. There are clearly opportunities to further develop this unique site as a transboundary reserve with North Korea. In 2024, the volcano was also designated a Global Geopark by UNESCO and the DPRK has boasted about this designation. As President Trump considers ways to reengage with North Korea, he might consider environmental cooperation as a way to open a new opportunity for dialogue. Although the president is not keen to show any 'green stripes', his son Donald Jr. has a passion for wild spaces, albeit for hunting and fishing. Don Jr. has even favored some conservation stances against mining to maintain habitat in Alaska. The Changbaishan region is at the southern edge of the habitat for the largest tiger species in the world, the Amur or Siberian Tiger which is critically endangered with less than 500 individuals remaining in the wild. Conservation and wildlife tourism efforts around natural areas may be a new conversation starter between the Trump and Kim families. Yanji is near the tri-border region between Russia, China and the DPRK. An estimated 2 million ethnic Koreans are citizens of China, particularly in the border region. Around 400,000 live in the Yanbian 'Korean autonomous district' in China which has some modest level of autonomy from the Chinese government. These Korean-Chinese use their multiple identities across the border by trading in the North Korean Rason Special Economic Zone (earlier called Ragin Sonbong). Many of them also have ties to South Korea for commerce and can be given a resident permit in South Korea if so desired. The Rason special economic zone is a sort of 'economic peace park' similar to the Kaesong Industrial complex near the DPRK's side of the DMZ, where 123 mid-level South Korean companies employ around 53,000 North Korean workers (set up in 2002 as a peace gesture by the South). Yet unlike Kaesong, the main economic sector on the Northern frontier is natural products and services – blueberries, vegetables, fish and crustaceans. No doubt the DPRK feels somewhat nostalgic about a bygone era when China was one of its unwavering allies. The somber towering walls of the DPRK embassy in Beijing reflect this nostalgia where they are punctuated at one juncture by a small photographic exhibit behind a glass case. All the images in this exhibit are from the DPRK's heyday in the 1960s and 1970s when its human development indicators were higher than South Korea and the Cold War had warmed the Sino-Russian axis in its favor. Isolation and paranoia have now driven DPRK into a downward spiral while South Korea (or Republic of Korea - ROK) can boast being the only country in the world to rise from least developed to most developed status within a generation. Ever since the Korean War ended in a stalemate in 1953, the peninsula has been divided by a the most heavily mined 'Demilitarized Zone' (DMZ) in the world – a narrow corridor that is on average 2.5 miles wide and stretches across the full 160 plus miles of the border. Some years earlier architecture students of architect Yehre Suh, who was then teaching a design studio at Cornell University, visited the DMZ region with support from the Rotch Foundation and designed scenarios for how to green the DMZ through futuristic studio projects under the caption of 'parallel utopias.' One could envisage both a unified Korea as well as two separate nations but with peaceful relations as alternate but equally desirable outcomes from a detente. This zone has by default become a wild and natural place free from human presence where nature has reclaimed territory and was even profiled by Alan Weisman in his book The World Without Us. To add greater complexity, but possibly another cooperative nexus, Russia also shares a tri-border in this region with China and North Korea. A rail link between the Russian town of Khasan and the port at Rajin in DPRK was completed in 2013 and there is growing commerce between the two countries. Pondering new pathways to 'creative diplomacy' (a term coined by former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd), Russia might provide a window for peace-building through economic and ecological pathways in the region. The relationship between Russia and DPRK is still strong as exemplified by the latter's beleaguered airline still flying Russian planes, including the latest version of the Tupolev TU 204. Russia has also been remarkably active on various environmental treaties in which the DPRK has also shown some surprising interest. Research by Dr. Benjamin Habib at La Trobe University in Australia and Dr. Robert Winstanley-Chesters from Leeds University documents this surprising engagement by the DPRK, particularly around climate change diplomacy. The International Crane Foundation has also found willing partners in DPRK and Russia for its activities related to conservation habitat. At China's very farthest limits, a town sandwiched between North Korea and Russia stands at the ... More heart of Beijing's plan to revitalise its bleak, frigid northeastern rustbelt. AFP PHOTO / Greg BAKER Russia has been a participant in the 'Six Party Talks' and as efforts are made to revitalize these negotiations might it be opportune to hold a summit in this economically and ecologically valuable triborder region between DPRK, China and Russia? It would also be appropriate to expand the mandate of the talks beyond the nuclear issue in order to augment potential for trust and mechanisms for 'creative diplomacy' to emerge. With the conflagration in Ukraine hurting its ties with the 'West,' Russia may find it appealing to play a more constructive role in the hitherto intractable Korean conflict. During the visit to Yanji, I also was able to visit the triborder region after various security checks. On the Chinese side, there is a large museum complex and tourist village that has been developed within the past year. A beautifully curated boardwalk takes visitors through the riparian marshlands to the triborder itself. There are signs in Korean, Russian and Chinese about the natural heritage and value of this unique landscape where the Tumen River Flows into Sea of Japan. For the past twenty years I have served on the board of an organization called The DMZ Forum. Founded by Korean-American Professor K.C. Kim, an eminent retired entomologist from Pennsylvania State University, the organization aimed to use environmental factors to build 'superordinate goals' for cooperation between both Koreas. Professor Kim had visited North Korea and met with academics at the Wonsan Agricultural and Forestry University and learned of their great need to have more foreign academics visit for research collaborations. Such academic collaborations were not contradictory to the North Korean credo of Juche (self-reliance) but rather a means of furthering the resilience capacity of the country's ecological system which inherently transcends borders. Within the Korean peninsula several projects have been proposed through the activities of the Forum such as setting up a peace park in the DMZ given its high level of biodiversity or having it declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site by both countries. Conferences and Track 2 Diplomacy efforts have been occurring in this vein for many years. Even philanthropists like Ted Turner have granted celebrity appeal to such undertakings by making visits to the DPRK. The One Green Korea Movement (a church-based organization which has approval for its activities from the North Korean government) has been undertaking tree-planting campaigns across the country. Yet a definitive outcome by which such 'low green politics' could be elevated to the high politics of war and peace remains elusive. Decades of advocacy for transforming the DMZ into a naturalized peace zone has been well-documented by anthropologist Eleana Kim in her book Making Peace with Nature. Another approach to using environmental pathways for thawing North Korea may be through the existing United Nations treaty obligations which the country has made of its own accord. Some years back, environmental governance scholar Rakhyun Kim and I analyzed all the environmental treaties which North Korea had ratified and suggested some pathways forward in this context. North Korea has shown interest in joining environmental treaties as recently as May of this year when The Ramsar Convention on Wetland protection announced that the DPRK had ratified the treaty. Furthermore, one of the sites that North Korea wants designated as a Ramsar wetland site is near the tri-border region and the treaty has a special provision for such transboundary sites. With such a long history of environmental engagement and this recent overture from the DPRK, the timing may well be opportune for the United States and its allies to use environmental and science diplomacy channels to thaw relations with the DPRK.
Sydney Morning Herald
22-06-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
Indonesia's answer to the Maldives is one of the best-kept island secrets
Belitung is located on the east coast of Sumatra in the Gaspar Strait where the South China and Java seas meet. Its north-west corner, where I'm staying, has been dubbed the 'Seychelles of Indonesia' and 'Indonesia's Maldives'. I liken this heavenly beach paradise to a mini-Raja Ampat, a white sandy wonderland of gentle translucent waters with tropical fish darting in the shallows, and blooms of staghorn and brain coral sitting quietly in the cooler depths. The coastline's scattering of tiny islands – rocky outcrops sprouting picture-perfect coconut trees – are part of a UNESCO Global Geopark. It is scenery worthy of a fairytale, or a pirate movie. That a shipwreck and its treasure were discovered out on the horizon, just 1.6 kilometres away, is entirely in keeping. Known for its lucrative deposits of tin, Belitung has a mining history and was once a base for BHP Billiton, Billiton being another name for Belitung. Its population of about 320,000 has traditionally worked in mining, but the depletion of tin in the 1990s has since seen the emphasis on fishing, agriculture and, incrementally, tourism. My invitation to the island has come from Tanjung Kelayang Reserve, a 350-hectare privately owned nature reserve that fronts Belitung's stunner north-west coastline. Of this land, 200 hectares have been dedicated to rewilding and conservation, with a promise of protecting the island's endemic fauna and flora while supporting local communities. I arrived earlier this morning on the 45-minute flight (400 kilometres) north of Jakarta. At the one-shed International airport, my host Yuni Kusama points out that I am the only bule, or foreigner, at the airport. She explains that the reserve's Perth-based Indonesian owner (who requests anonymity) wants Australians and Europeans to visit Belitung 'because they're eco-travellers. They'll understand that we are trying to create a truly sustainable destination'. From what I'm seeing, the assessment is bang-on. Aussies keen on a low-impact intrepid island adventure will fall for this place. So will those seeking a laid-back beach holiday or an eco-luxury escape. For the first two nights, I stay at Sheraton Belitung, at the centre of the reserve. It's a lovely, newish, 123-room resort thoughtfully constructed from hand-pressed local kaolin clay bricks, with native renggadai wood ceilings and finishes. The colour palette blends seamlessly with the white sands, dark green tropical garden and expansive natural lagoons, which are connected to the resort's zero-emissions water treatment plant. The resort is luxurious, but casually so, with a peaked-roof, wall-less lobby where my bare feet don't get a second glance, and clean and spacious rooms with comforts including balconies with standalone bathtubs. On the beachfront, the indoor-outdoor Island Restaurant, serving traditional Bangka Belitung cuisine, ensures long leisurely dining interspersed with kayaking, snorkelling, laps of the Olympic-sized pool, and volleyball jousts over a net whimsically strung between two coconut trees. Island hopping, in the reserve's characteristic wooden fishing boat, is part of the fun too. Over two days we zigzag around the Geopark to snorkel in the depths around bird-shaped Garuda Island and walk knee-deep in the echoing sea caves of Kelayang Island. We stop by a tiny floating fish market where grouper and napoleon fish are bred in cages sunken into the cobalt blue sea. We motor into a light headwind to Lengkuas Island and are greeted by a vision from a children's book, a 55-metre Dutch colonial lighthouse, built in 1882, with seven porthole windows ascending 12 floors to a domed lamp top. There's talk of turning it into a museum showcasing Belitung's long maritime trade-route history. On day three, I swap sand and sea for the reserve's Whistle Trail nature walk with guide Akbar Alfarisyi, a former biology teacher who joined the reserve in 2022. 'Now the biology teaches me,' he says as we walk through the cool forest, the island's biodiversity hotspot with more than 150 species of native flora and fauna. Along the path, Alfarisyi points out the reserve's rewilding successes – exquisite native orchids (of which there are 67 species on Belitung), termite nests (food for the reserve's four protected Sunda pangolin), cinnamon (a relatively rare species with a mint scent), and a strong-flavoured white pepper (once the island's chief agricultural export and now critically endangered). We visit the reserve's trigona beehives, which are cared for by the villagers of Komunitas Pelabo Sijuk, who receive an income from the bottles they sell. Unlike regular hexagonal hives, stingless beehives are a mesh of smallish sacks. I dip a reed straw into one to taste the delicious honey – it has a woody fermented flavour, both sweet and sour, like the aroma of wine barrels. On night three, I stay at the reserve's Billiton Ekobeach Retreat, accessible via a sandy shoreline walk or a short putt-putt by fishing boat. It has five rustically charming, stilted beach huts spaced along their own stretch of sand. The structures and bespoke furniture are made from beach-sourced driftwood and other natural waste items for a Robinson Crusoe vibe, but they're also comfortably appointed with air-conditioning, ceiling fans and hot showers. The final day might well be the finest. Once again, I meet Wakhyu Brata, this time to join a Bluemind Experience private island adventure. We skip over the waves to Kera Island, an idyllic oasis covered in a tropical garden with a hidden sandy cove where a picnic lunch is served. Afterwards, Brata, having snorkelled around the shallows with his net, waves me over. He has caught four fresh sea urchins, round, spiky and glistening black, with silver and blue spots that shimmer like crystals. Loading We stand knee-deep in water as he cuts the spikes off, then cracks the top off, the shell to reveal slivers of buttery yellow flesh, a delicacy known as uni in the Japanese culinary world. After swishing it clean in the salty water, I scoop the soft, briny, umami-loaded sea-shimi straight into my mouth. It's a taste sensation, yet another of Belitung Island's remarkable underwater treasures. THE DETAILS VISIT Belitung and Tanjung Kelayang Reserve are open year-round, with the dry season (April to October) typically offering the best time to visit. See Bluemind Experience organises the reserve's island-hopping activities. See FLY Qantas and Garuda Indonesia have direct flights from Sydney and Melbourne to Jakarta, where it's a one-hour flight to Belitung on domestic airlines, including Citilink and Batik Air. See
The Age
22-06-2025
- The Age
Indonesia's answer to the Maldives is one of the best-kept island secrets
Belitung is located on the east coast of Sumatra in the Gaspar Strait where the South China and Java seas meet. Its north-west corner, where I'm staying, has been dubbed the 'Seychelles of Indonesia' and 'Indonesia's Maldives'. I liken this heavenly beach paradise to a mini-Raja Ampat, a white sandy wonderland of gentle translucent waters with tropical fish darting in the shallows, and blooms of staghorn and brain coral sitting quietly in the cooler depths. The coastline's scattering of tiny islands – rocky outcrops sprouting picture-perfect coconut trees – are part of a UNESCO Global Geopark. It is scenery worthy of a fairytale, or a pirate movie. That a shipwreck and its treasure were discovered out on the horizon, just 1.6 kilometres away, is entirely in keeping. Known for its lucrative deposits of tin, Belitung has a mining history and was once a base for BHP Billiton, Billiton being another name for Belitung. Its population of about 320,000 has traditionally worked in mining, but the depletion of tin in the 1990s has since seen the emphasis on fishing, agriculture and, incrementally, tourism. My invitation to the island has come from Tanjung Kelayang Reserve, a 350-hectare privately owned nature reserve that fronts Belitung's stunner north-west coastline. Of this land, 200 hectares have been dedicated to rewilding and conservation, with a promise of protecting the island's endemic fauna and flora while supporting local communities. I arrived earlier this morning on the 45-minute flight (400 kilometres) north of Jakarta. At the one-shed International airport, my host Yuni Kusama points out that I am the only bule, or foreigner, at the airport. She explains that the reserve's Perth-based Indonesian owner (who requests anonymity) wants Australians and Europeans to visit Belitung 'because they're eco-travellers. They'll understand that we are trying to create a truly sustainable destination'. From what I'm seeing, the assessment is bang-on. Aussies keen on a low-impact intrepid island adventure will fall for this place. So will those seeking a laid-back beach holiday or an eco-luxury escape. For the first two nights, I stay at Sheraton Belitung, at the centre of the reserve. It's a lovely, newish, 123-room resort thoughtfully constructed from hand-pressed local kaolin clay bricks, with native renggadai wood ceilings and finishes. The colour palette blends seamlessly with the white sands, dark green tropical garden and expansive natural lagoons, which are connected to the resort's zero-emissions water treatment plant. The resort is luxurious, but casually so, with a peaked-roof, wall-less lobby where my bare feet don't get a second glance, and clean and spacious rooms with comforts including balconies with standalone bathtubs. On the beachfront, the indoor-outdoor Island Restaurant, serving traditional Bangka Belitung cuisine, ensures long leisurely dining interspersed with kayaking, snorkelling, laps of the Olympic-sized pool, and volleyball jousts over a net whimsically strung between two coconut trees. Island hopping, in the reserve's characteristic wooden fishing boat, is part of the fun too. Over two days we zigzag around the Geopark to snorkel in the depths around bird-shaped Garuda Island and walk knee-deep in the echoing sea caves of Kelayang Island. We stop by a tiny floating fish market where grouper and napoleon fish are bred in cages sunken into the cobalt blue sea. We motor into a light headwind to Lengkuas Island and are greeted by a vision from a children's book, a 55-metre Dutch colonial lighthouse, built in 1882, with seven porthole windows ascending 12 floors to a domed lamp top. There's talk of turning it into a museum showcasing Belitung's long maritime trade-route history. On day three, I swap sand and sea for the reserve's Whistle Trail nature walk with guide Akbar Alfarisyi, a former biology teacher who joined the reserve in 2022. 'Now the biology teaches me,' he says as we walk through the cool forest, the island's biodiversity hotspot with more than 150 species of native flora and fauna. Along the path, Alfarisyi points out the reserve's rewilding successes – exquisite native orchids (of which there are 67 species on Belitung), termite nests (food for the reserve's four protected Sunda pangolin), cinnamon (a relatively rare species with a mint scent), and a strong-flavoured white pepper (once the island's chief agricultural export and now critically endangered). We visit the reserve's trigona beehives, which are cared for by the villagers of Komunitas Pelabo Sijuk, who receive an income from the bottles they sell. Unlike regular hexagonal hives, stingless beehives are a mesh of smallish sacks. I dip a reed straw into one to taste the delicious honey – it has a woody fermented flavour, both sweet and sour, like the aroma of wine barrels. On night three, I stay at the reserve's Billiton Ekobeach Retreat, accessible via a sandy shoreline walk or a short putt-putt by fishing boat. It has five rustically charming, stilted beach huts spaced along their own stretch of sand. The structures and bespoke furniture are made from beach-sourced driftwood and other natural waste items for a Robinson Crusoe vibe, but they're also comfortably appointed with air-conditioning, ceiling fans and hot showers. The final day might well be the finest. Once again, I meet Wakhyu Brata, this time to join a Bluemind Experience private island adventure. We skip over the waves to Kera Island, an idyllic oasis covered in a tropical garden with a hidden sandy cove where a picnic lunch is served. Afterwards, Brata, having snorkelled around the shallows with his net, waves me over. He has caught four fresh sea urchins, round, spiky and glistening black, with silver and blue spots that shimmer like crystals. Loading We stand knee-deep in water as he cuts the spikes off, then cracks the top off, the shell to reveal slivers of buttery yellow flesh, a delicacy known as uni in the Japanese culinary world. After swishing it clean in the salty water, I scoop the soft, briny, umami-loaded sea-shimi straight into my mouth. It's a taste sensation, yet another of Belitung Island's remarkable underwater treasures. THE DETAILS VISIT Belitung and Tanjung Kelayang Reserve are open year-round, with the dry season (April to October) typically offering the best time to visit. See Bluemind Experience organises the reserve's island-hopping activities. See FLY Qantas and Garuda Indonesia have direct flights from Sydney and Melbourne to Jakarta, where it's a one-hour flight to Belitung on domestic airlines, including Citilink and Batik Air. See
