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CHARNWOOD FOREST GEOPARK
An aspiring UNESCO Global Geopark
UNESCO Global Geoparks are territories that contain internationally significant geology, which communities promote to achieve sustainable economic development. There are currently 229 UNESCO Global Geoparks in 50 countries, and it is our aim to bring this designation to Charnwood Forest.
JOINING UNESCO
Why we want to join the UNESCO Global Geopark
Charnwood Forest is the home of Precambrian palaeontology, the place where an unexpected discovery in the 1950s changed our view of how life on Earth evolved. We want to share this story not only with local people, but also with the world, and as we do, ensure that our local communities benefit from their heritage. This is why we aspire to be a UNESCO Global Geopark.
The process of applying is long, and will require a dossier to be written and submitted. We have been given approval to apply in November 2025. The following year our dossier would be reviewed by international experts, and two geopark evaluators will visit Charnwood Forest for several days. If viewed favourably by the Global Geopark Council in 2026, the application would be finally approved by the UNESCO Executive Board in 2027.
UNESCO Global Geopark Status
Putting Charnwood Forest on the Map
Charnwood Forest is everyone’s home because a visit to our Geopark is the opportunity to meet your oldest animal ancestors. From Charnia, the fossil that pushed life back into the Precambrian; to Auroralumina, the earliest known predatory animal; our rocks bear testament to a key turning point in earth history that every human on the planet has a connection to.
Our Geopark is already a well-known region among geoscientists; taught in textbooks and visited as part of university field courses. However, our region’s value and beauty has been hidden from many communities, and that puts it at risk. We’ve made huge progress in telling Charnwood Forest’s story; celebrating our internationally important geoheritage, connecting people to our history, and securing a sustainable future. UNESCO Global Geopark status will help us to continue and strengthen this work, allowing us to further promote our unique blend of natural and cultural heritage.
Our aim is a Geopark that will be a hub of people and organisations who want to conserve and celebrate Charnwood Forest. From geodiversity and biodiversity, to history, education, arts, and sustainable development, we are a Geopark with partnership at our core. With the backing of UNESCO Global Geopark status, and the support that comes from being part of an international family, we can achieve our goal of strengthening the local economy of Charnwood Forest through sustainable geotourism. UNESCO status will help us to better protect our internationally-important treasures, while promoting the growth of sustainable local businesses that can benefit from geological tourism.
Isn’t it time the world came home, to the Charnwood Forest Geopark?
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Back The Bid - Become a Geopartner
Does your organisation want to show it’s support for the Geopark, and join a growing network of local businesses and other groups working together to celebrate Charnwood Forest?
Other UNESCO Global Geoparks
UNESCO Global Geoparks can be found in different landscapes all around the world. From the urban communities of the Black Country in the UK, to the famous crater of Ngorongoro Lengai in Tanzania, each Geopark is unique, but shares common goals. If you’ve visited Lanzarote, or drunk a glass of Beaujolais, then you’ve experienced the links between geology and society that Geoparks celebrate. There are currently 229 UNESCO Global Geoparks in 50 countries.
Platabergens, Sweden
Serido
Mourne Gullion Strangford
Satun, Thailand
Waitaki Whitestone
A Friend Across the Water
OUR Sister Geopark
In 2022 we launched a sistership agreement with the Discovery UNESCO Global Geopark in Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada. The Sistership builds on nearly 600 million years of shared geological history, including having some of the same species of fossils within them, telling the amazing story of the first animals to have evolved on Earth. Through the agreement we hope to collaborate on issues from education to interpretation, and also promote municipal and business links.
UN Sustainable Development Goals
The UN Sustainable Development Goals are a framework for building a fairer, more healthy future for humanity. As the Geopark works towards our UNESCO designation, we continue to integrate our projects with the aims of the Sustainable Development Goals.
No poverty
End poverty in all its forms everywhere
zero hunger
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
good health and well-being
Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
quality education
Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
gender equality
Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
clean water and sanitation
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
affordable and clean energy
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
decent work and economic growth
Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
industry, innovation and infrastructure
Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
reduced inequalities
Reduce inequality within and among countries
sustainable cities and communities
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
responsible consumption and production
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
climate action
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
life below water
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
life on land
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
peace, justice and strong institutions
Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
partnerships for the goals
Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development
No poverty
End poverty in all its forms everywhere
zero hunger
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
good health and well-being
Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
quality education
Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
gender equality
Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
clean water and sanitation
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
affordable and clean energy
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
decent work and economic growth
Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
industry, innovation and infrastructure
Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
reduced inequalities
Reduce inequality within and among countries
sustainable cities and communities
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
responsible consumption and production
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
climate action
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
life below water
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
life on land
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
peace, justice and strong institutions
Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
partnerships for the goals
Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development
Reconnect with nature in Charnwood Forest Geopark
There are many ways you can help and support Charnwood Forest Geopark – discover the one that works for you.
