2008

June

UNESCO designated as the lead agency for the International Year of Astronomy 2009. The United Nations (UN) 62nd General Assembly proclaimed 2009 the International Year of Astronomy. The Resolution was submitted by Italy, Galileo Galilei’s home country. The International Year of Astronomy 2009 is an initiative of the International Astronomical Union and UNESCO. More

3rd International Conference on Geoparks sponsored by UNESCO, 22-26 June 2008, Osnabrueck, Germany. For the first time, the International Conference on Geoparks will be held in the heart of a Global Geopark, TERRA.vita. The Conference goal is to raise awareness for the geological heritage of our planet far beyond the Geopark borders. Topics will be: How best communicate the fascination of Geoparks to a wider public, how to integrate them in tourism offers, how to achieve regional development. A wide ranged supporting programme with the 1st International Geoparks Fair, school projects and public lectures will make sure that the conference reaches a wider public. More

April

Monthly Newsletter of Naturtejo Geopark, Portugal - Being member of the Global Network of National Geoparks under UNESCO since 2006, the fist Geopark in Portugal is regularly informing about its activities in a monthly Newsletter. Naturtejo Geopark is rich of a 600 million years of a highly diversified geological and cultural history. In the more recent past, compared to geological time scale, Tejo was a war arena for Templar Knights who founded here the bastions of Castelo Branco, Monsanto or Amieira do Tejo. Its very diversified history has determined the existence of a people with unique dialect and traditions, great hospitality. Naturtejo Geopark is an exciting and enigmatic place where a mosaic of sensations can be lived. More (official website)

February

2008 International Year of Planet Earth, Global Launch Event. The United Nations General Assembly in New York has proclaimed 2008 International Year of Planet Earth. The Year's activities will actually span 2007-2009 and support research projects within defined themes focusing on Earth Sciences in the service of society. The International Year of Planet Earth will be officially launched at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on 12–13 February 2008. Initiated jointly by UNESCO and the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), the Year will demonstrate over the next 24 months just how important Earth sciences are for society. More

January

2008 IGCP 36th Scientific Board Meeting. The Scientific Board Meeting of the International Geoscience Programme will be held from 14 to 15 February in UNESCO Headquarters. During this Session of the Scientific Board the 47 ongoing projects of the International Geoscience Programme of IUGS and UNESCO will be reviewed and new project proposals will be evaluated. More

2007

December

UNESCO ecards: Send your warming holiday greetings to friends, family and colleagues with UNESCO's e-cards. More

October

Regional Conference on Asia-Pacific Geoparks, 13-15 November 2007, Langkawi Island, Malaysia Objectives are: networking within Geoparks, to discuss the progress of conservation of geological heritage in the Asia-Pacific region, to discuss issues of conservation and sustainable use of 'geoheritage' among various stakeholders, to promote development of National Geoparks among Asia-Pacific countries, to establish an Asia-Pacific Network of National Geoparks. More (Programme, Registration Form, Invitation)

Planet Earth: from Space to Place
UNESCO and its Global Network of National Geoparks celebrate the diversity and complexity of Planet Earth with an interdisciplinary exhibition from 16 October to 03 November 2007. To explore the challenges facing our planet, in particular climate change; and to showcase UNESCO's contribution to its sustainable development through its activities. More

August

7th European Geopark Network Open Conference in Scotland, 13-17 September 2007, Ullapool, United Kingdom Following the 6th Conference held in Lesvos, Greece in 2005, which had numerous attendance from far beyond Europe, this 7th Open Conference will be a turning platform for the exchange of information on geological heritage and the preparation of future Geoparks. Key conference themes: Discoveries in Earth Sciences, Cultural Landscapes, Geoparks & Economy, Sustainable Tourism, Environmental Priorities, Interpreting our Environment, Traditional Agriculture in Geoparks, Related Field trips. More

2007 Call for IGCP project proposals - The International Geoscience Programme (IGCP) launches its 2007 call for project proposals. Guidelines and application forms are now available. New IGCP projects shall reach out beyond the earth science community to decision-makers, government planners and policy-makers and shall be interdisciplinary in nature. Particular attention shall be given to the following topics: Geoscience of the Water Cycle, Geohazards, Earth Resources, Global Change and Life Evolution, The Deep Earth, Other relevant topics in basic/applied geoscience. More

International Conference on Karst Hydrogeology and Ecosystems (Karst2007) to be held from 13 - 19 August 2007 at Western Kentucky University, USA This conference is a joint meeting of the four major international karst research groups: 1) UNESCO International Geoscience Programme (IGCP) Project 513: Global Study of Karst Aquifers and Water Resources; 2) International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) Karst Commission; 3) International Geographical Union (IGU) Karst Commission 4) Union Internationale de Spéléologie Commission on Karst Hydrogeology and Speleogenesis. More

July

Special IGCP 521 session "Black Sea – Mediterranean corridor during the past 30 ka" at the XYII INQUA Congress in Cairns, Australia, 28 July - 3 August 2007. The session is focused on a cross-disciplinary examination of paleoenvironmental cataclysms in the Black Sea-Mediterranean Corridor over the past 30 000 years and their influence on human adaptive strategies. The main goal of this session is to assemble scientists from eastern and western countries to coordinate their research and correlate their results in the exact and historical sciences in order to evaluate the influence of environmental changes on human adaptive strategies in the “Corridor”. More

April

Four new members in the Global Network of National Geoparks under UNESCO
Three European Geoparks have become of the network : Papuk Geopark first Geopark in Croatia, Lochaber Geopark, Scotland, United Kingdom, Geological and Mining Park of Sardinia, Italy and Langkawi Island, as first member from Malaysia. The Global Network of National Geoparks under UNESCO has now 52 members (June 2007), which are present in 17 Member States. More

March

Outcomes of the 2nd International Conference on Geoparks
320 participants attended the Geoparks 2006 Conference coming from 40 countries and 6 continents. After 3 days of discussions, positive exchange of experiences and ideas on Geopark development worldwide we want to emphasise the needs for the future development of the Global Geoparks Network (GGN). See Conference Declaration here

February

35th Session of the Scientific Board of the International Geoscience Programme (IGCP) to be held from 14 to 16 February 2007 at UNESCO, HQ. The IGCP Board will evaluate new IGCP project proposals and annual project reports. During the open sessions of the meeting IGCP National Committees, representatives of Member States, cooperating UNESCO-Programmes and other organizations will be invited to participate in the discussions. More

2006

September

2nd International Conference on Geoparks to be held in Belfast, 17 - 21 September 2006, Northern Ireland under the auspices of UNESCO. Main organizer: Geological Survey of Northern Ireland. This event will comprise of plenary sessions and educational workshops for delegates to learn more about GEOPARKS such as how to promote geological heritage, how to sustain local communities through the development of quality tourism and highlight the criteria involved in the application process for membership of the European and Global Geoparks Networks. More

2006 Call for IGCP project proposals
The International Geoscience Programme (IGCP) is launching its 2006 call for project proposals. The proposal guidelines and application forms were updated in order to bring them in line with the requirements of the strategic plan of UNESCO and IUGS (International Union of Geological Sciences), the two co-sponsoring partners. New IGCP projects shall reach out beyond the earth science community to decision-makers, government planners and policy-makers. Moreover, the new IGCP projects shall be more interdisciplinary in nature and give particular attention to the following topics: Geoscience of the Water Cycle, Geohazards, Earth Resources, Global Change and Life Evolution, The Deep Earth and Other relevant topics in basic/applied geoscience. More

Symposium on Palaeozoic palynology in conjunction with the Commission Internationale de Microflore du Paléozoique, taking place in the framework of IGCP n° 499, 2 - 6 September 2006, Prague, Czech Republic. More

August

The Boreal Triassic, 15-20 August 2006, Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Arctic Norway. This symposium will focus on all aspects of the Arctic Triassic and correlation with Tethys. Svalbard has one of the most complete and accessible Triassic successions of the Arctic. More

July

First International Conodont Symposium, 12-30 July 2006, University of Leicester, United Kingdom. This symposium is composed of workshops, excursions and specific sessions such as the "Triassic Conodonts: Taxonomy and Timescales" session. More

June

Second International Palaeontological Congress, 17-21 June 2006, Beijing, China. This congress follows the highly successful first IPC2002 held in Sydney, and will focus on a series of scientific sessions and symposia to discuss new research findings relating to fossil organisms, with emphasis upon the convention theme "Ancient Life and Modern Approaches". More