Abstract
PurposeThis study aims to provide an overview of the current socio-political geopark situation in Australia and set this into a global context. In addition, the authors consider this information to be useful for all stakeholders involved in geopark research and development. An analysis of constraints is set alongside stakeholder views collected from remote rural Western Australia. The authors also place Australia in a global context in regard to the future of geoparks.Design/methodology/approachVital contextual information regarding the tourism significance of geoparks is sourced from key literature. The authors analyse and report on the situation surrounding the current lack of enthusiasm for the geopark concept by the federal government and states in Australia. The authors also report positive rural community stakeholder views on geopark development from regional Western Australia.FindingsWhile Australian federal, as well as state governments have yet to accept geoparks, stakeholder research in Western Australia supports the idea of geopark development. Learnings articulated in this viewpoint are relevant to any country pursuing and initiating the geopark concept. The authors posit that global geopark development can become a vital strategy in post-COVID-19 tourism recovery planning.Originality/valueAustralia currently does not have a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)-recognised geopark. Accordingly, the authors present a case for geopark development, while at the same time exploring the socio-political reasons behind the lack of geopark implementation in Australia. The authors consider the future of geoparks in the global context and reiterate the point that geoparks are important for COVID-19 recovery of tourism and in regard to UNESCO's Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.
Highlights
Geoparks are unified areas with geological and landscape features of international significance and are managed with a focus on conservation, education and sustainable development outcomes (UNESCO, 2016)
While stakeholders in rural Western Australia perceived this broader role of geoparks (Briggs, 2020), federal and state governments currently remain inflexible about adopting geoparks as a recognised land designation
There was federal government funding for marketing; as one stakeholder j j PAGE 6 JOURNAL OF TOURISM FUTURES VOL. ▪▪▪ NO. ▪▪▪ 2021 mentioned, “who knows about the iconic national landscapes other than the people who proposed them?” Apart from the top-down approach, the mechanisms closely resembled the geopark model where committees with local representation were formed
Summary
Geoparks are unified areas with geological and landscape features of international significance and are managed with a focus on conservation, education and sustainable development outcomes (UNESCO, 2016). Geoparks adopt a more holistic approach using conservation, education and sustainable development to achieve their goals They have been demonstrated to foster business growth, create employment and improve community well-being (Dowling and Newsome, 2018; Ng, 2017; Zouros, 2010). Australia has been experiencing rural decline since the inception of corporatisation and mechanisation of farming enterprises across rural areas, leading to declining employment opportunities, reduced and aging populations and young people leaving to seek education and employment in the city (Briggs, 2017) This has led to the reduction of business and government services and impacted the availability of volunteers for community, emergency services and sporting activities. The future significance of Government attitudes to geopark development is advanced in the context of geoparks being a global strategy for economic development and part of the solution in mitigating some of the adverse impacts of the coronavirus pandemic
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