An agreement of friendly exchange and cooperation has been signed between the English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark and Tianzhushan UNESCO Global Geopark, China, during a visit of a delegation of senior officials for the territory.

Senior officials included Chief of Tourism, Deputy Director of the County Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office and the County Party Secretary.

Torbay’s Elected Mayor, Gordon Oliver, said: “This is the third agreement the English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark has signed with Geoparks in China and it shows the importance of having a UNESCO designation for Torbay, giving us international reach and exposure for our own exceptional natural environment.”

Melanie Border, English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark Coordinator, said: “The visit and signing of the agreement came about as a result of Torbay hosting the 7^th International Conference on UNESCO Global Geopark at the Riviera International Conference Centre in September 2016.

“Representatives from Tianzhushan attended the conference with a display stand at the GeoFair. The delegates were impressed with the English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark and returned to China determined for our two areas to form a relationship. One of the benefits of being a UNESCO Global Geoparks is to establish exchanges and learn best practise from other Geoparks around the World. This agreement provides opportunities for Torbay to develop this.

“The delegation was welcomed to Torbay by Mayor Gordon Oliver and Councillor Nicole Amil at Kents Cavern. They presented their area which is incredibly beautiful with rich geology, cultural heritage, and community engagement which they use to create sustainable economic development.”

Situated in Qianshan County, Anhui Province, in the eastern part of China, the Tianzhushan Geopark territory has an impressive list of designations including National Scenic Area, National Forest Park and National AAAAA Tourist Attraction in addition to its UNESCO Global Geopark status.

During their visit the delegation from Tianzhushan were given a private tour of Kents Cavern. Following discussions and the signing of the agreement, the Mayor hosted a visit to Torre Abbey, Cockington and Brixham, before having dinner at the Yum Sing restaurant in Torquay.

The other two agreements are with the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark (2010) and with Zhangjiajie UNESCO Global Geopark, Hunan Province, China (2016) a territory used for filming the blockbuster movie Avatar.

For more information visit the English Riviera Geopark Opens in a new window and Global Geoparks Network websites.