The 9th Geoheritage and Geopark Virtual Forum

Safeguarding Nature, Empowering Communities: Building Sustainable Tourism Via the UNESCO Global Geoparks Model was the title of 9^th Geoheritage and Geopark Virtual Forum. This virtual forum is co-inside with the COP 29, hosted by Geopark research Center with Ampang Jaya Rimba, Institute of Geology Malaysia, Langkawi research Center and Geological Heritage Group of Malaysia. Moderated by Assoc Prof Dr. Sharina Abdul Halim, the Deputy Director of LESTARI, UKM, this virtual forum explores the fact that ssustainable tourism with geopark cannot exist without the inclusion and empowerment of the communities who are inherently connected to the land. With understanding that in Geoparks, these communities, acting as stewards of the environment, possess deep knowledge of the land and play a critical role in protecting natural and cultural heritage. The sharing of knowledge and practice of sustainable tourism was by expert from Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brazil lead by Prof Rajiv Shaw of Graduate School of Media and Governance in Keio University, Japan, Mr Irshad Mobarak from The Datai, Langkawi UNESCO Global Geopark. Dr Yunus Kusumahbrata a representative of Geopark National Committee of Indonesia and Mr. Silas Samuel dos Santos a geologist from Seridó Geopark Team, Brazil. More than 150 participants have been joining this virtual forum from Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Brazil, Hong Kong, Philippines, Myanmar, Tanzania, Thailand, Japan, Laos and Morocco. The sharing of practices and approaches in safeguarding their natural and cultural heritage through the partnership among the local communities and various entities within the geopark have concretize the significant roles of community in implementing conservation is the development. The link to this virtual forum can be accessed online via this link  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPZi3VReL-w

Report by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tanot Unjah.