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"As an important component of the natural landscape, the ecological environment is a significant indicator in the assessment of a geopark," said Lu Yunting, vice-president of the Geological Tourism and Geology Park Society of China.

 

The ecological environment is regarded as an important part of all national parks, of which geoparks are one type.

 

The Yellow Stone Park in the United States, the first national park in the world, for instance, has rich wild animal and plant species, which form a part of its well-known biological landscape.

 

In the "World Geoparks Network Guide," the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has 10 definitions of a world geopark, one of which states: "The park consists of a series of geological sites with special scientific significance, as well as rare and aesthetic values, and it may not only have geological significance, but also have archaeological, ecological, historical or cultural value."

 

In China, ecological environment evaluations and protection are considered an important part of assessment standards for geopark planning, Lu said.

 

In 2000, the Ministry of Land and Recourses issued "The Notice on National Geopark Application." In two of its five attachments, "The National Geopark Master Planning Guide" and the "The National Geopark Assessment Criteria," ecology and ecotourism were defined specifically and clearly as follows:

 

The basic principles to be followed for geopark planning are: "Geoparks should take the geoheritages and geological environment as their main content; should highlight multiple functions, such as natural science popularization; should exploit their own advantages in the light of local conditions, so as to form a unique style and geographical characteristics of science parks."

 

Further principles to be followed were: "taking the protection of geoheritage landscape as a priority, following the principle of combining development and protection, strictly protecting the natural and cultural heritage, protecting original landscape features and local characteristics, maintaining the healthy circle of the ecological environment, preventing pollution and other geological disasters, and adhering to sustainable development."

 

According to Lu, these provisions indicate that geoparks should attach great importance to their ecological values, ecological and environmental protection, ecological nature reserve demarcation and eco-tourism landscape resources.

 

There are clear ecological protection concepts and operational measures for the ecological construction and protection of geoparks.

 

And it is a requirement to bring the ecological nature reserve and ecotourism projects into the contents of geopark planning.

 

Geology and ecology

 

"First, there needs to be an acknowledgment of some degree of commonality and mutuality between geological and ecological landscapes," Lu stressed when speaking of the relationship between geological landscape resources and ecological landscape resources in the development of tourism.

 

The former is pure natural landscape. Except for some artificial ecological landscape, the latter is also natural landscape, a life organism with instability, sensitivity and vulnerability to natural and human destruction.

 

Lu said in the development of ecotourism, geological and ecological landscapes are interdependent.

 

First of all, there is a complementary relationship between geology and ecology.

 

Geology is the hard landscape, like bone, while ecology is the soft landscape, like hair growing in the geological body.

 

Some areas have a unique, diverse geological landscape, but the ecological landscape is poor; some other areas boast an attractive ecological landscape, but the geological landscape is dull.

 

In geoparks the relationship between geology and ecology is complementary. The perfect combination of geoheritages and ecological landscapes will add value to these geoparks.

 

Furthermore, the phenomenon of interaction between geology and ecology is abundant in the natural world. In limestone cliffs and carved landscaped areas, there are plenty of crannies and gullies, where some plants, such as the arborvitae and the elm, are rooted.

 

These plants, by exuding some acid material form their roots, accelerate the biological and chemical efflorescence of the rocks.

 

Finally, geology and ecology interact as both cause and effect. For example, in various parts of the washout landform, different small natural environments are formed because of geological damage. In the downstream of the gully, due to the relatively low hypsography, deep soil and abundant water, there are usually some hygrophilous trees and herbs.

 

And in upstream areas, where plants find it difficult to live, there is often a poor vegetation landscape. However, after the restoration of vegetation in these areas, the formerly unstable gully landscape becomes stable and the geological landscape is protected.

 

(China Daily June 9, 2006)