Unesco’s executive board has approved the designation of Satun Geopark among 13 new Geoparks for sites demonstrating the diversity of the planet’s geology.
The designation of 13 new Geoparks on April 17 as put the number of global Geoparks to 140 in 38 countries.
Unesco noted that Satun Geopark is known as a peaceful place of great natural beauty. Multiple cultures and groups, including Buddhists, Muslims, Christians and smaller groups such as Semung or Maniq (or Chao Le in Thai) live here together in harmony in this area.
It is wellknown as the land of Paleozoic fossils due to their abundance, high diversity and remarkable succession of fossil, including trilobites, brachiopods, stomtolites, conodonts, graptolites, tentaculites and nautiloids.
Satun Geopark covers four districts of Muang, Thung Wa, Manang and La-ngu. It is the first Geopark in Thailand and the fifth in Asean.
Welcoming the Unesco’s designation, Satun Governor Pattharaphan Rattanapichetthachai, however, said that the designation was not as important as what the people of Satun would gain from this declaration.
For this matter, he said a meeting would be held with all parties concerned to work out tourism strategy in correspondence with the designation.
Source link