Efforts To Establish Geopark: National Level Geopark Committee Held A Meeting

The National Level Geopark Committee meeting (2/2022) was held at the forest department, Nay Pyi Taw on Wednesday with the attendance of Committee Chairman Union Minister for Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation U Khin Maung Yi.

At the meeting, the Union Minister said that Myanmar is rich with the cultural and natural heritages and preservation of natural resources for the long term sustainability, administration and systematic utilization have been carrying out. In Myanmar, there are international and regional recognized conservation areas such as 8 ASEAN heritage parks, 2 Biosphere reserves, 6 Ramsar sites and 6 East-Asia Australia flyway networks.

UNESCO commenced the Global Geopark program which is implementing the development and conservation in harmony in 2001 and there are 177 Global Geoparks in 46 countries.

Among many candidate sites possessed good potentials to be recognized as Global Geopark in Myanmar, Mount Poppa region has significant fossils, Bagan era iron furnaces, notable biodiversities and fossilized elephant with double ivory. Before proposing as global geopark, the implementations are being carried out to designate national level geopark first.  

Next, committee secretary reported the implementations to establish Mount. Puppa National GeoPark and the Chairman of Myanmar Geoscience Society clarified regarding with potential Geo sites and Geo Parks.

Then, committee members discussed the related sectors to establish Mount. Puppa National GeoPark and set the future work plans.

The meeting was also attended by the deputy ministers, permanent secretary, director generals and deputy director generals and the chairman of Myanmar Geoscience Society attended the meeting via Video Conferencing, it's reported.