European UNESCO Geoparks are meeting at the Karawanken/Karavanke Geopark

From March 24 to 26, the European UNESCO Global Geoparks gathered for their annual network meeting at the Karawanken/Karavanke cross-border Geopark on the border between Austria and Slovenia. Over 200 participants from across Europe took the opportunity to engage in professional exchanges, work on projects, and further strengthen connections within the European Geoparks Network.

At the annual meeting, members of the international network worked in various working groups on topics such as education and geological hazards and continued to develop joint projects. The agenda also included the election of new coordinators and members of the Advisory Board of the European Geoparks Network (EGN). The successful INTERREG project in the Danube region, in which the UNESCO Global Geopark Schwäbische Alb is also participating, attracted considerable interest.

Despite the onset of winter and stormy weather, the participants took advantage of the excursions offered to explore the host geopark and gain valuable insights for their own work.

The Karawanken UNESCO Global Geopark is a cross-border region dedicated to nature and culture, covering an area of 1,067 km² between Austria (Carinthia) and Slovenia. It has been designated a UNESCO Global Geopark since 2013 in recognition of its geological heritage and sustainable development. Five Slovenian and nine Austrian municipalities cooperate in this area, which is organized as a European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC).

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the team at the UNESCO Karawanken/Karavanke Geopark for organizing the meeting so perfectly.