Think the Earth

On August 23, 3 Japanese sites - Lake Toya and Mount Usu (Hokkaido Prefecture), Itoigawa region (Niigata Prefecture), and Shimabara Peninsula (Nagasaki Prefecture) - were listed as "global geoparks" by the Paris-based Global Geopark Network, which is an internationally operated organization supported by UNESCO. It is the first time any site in Japan has received this designation.

Global geoparks are nature parks containing sites with particular geological, archaeological, ecological, and/or cultural importance and are regarded as the geological version of World Heritage sites. Including the 3 new sites to be listed from Japan and 2 regions in China, there are currently 63 geoparks in 19 countries around the world.

Each region is rejoicing having been listed as a geopark after passing the rigorous screening process. The first site, Lake Toya and Mount Usu region, has lakes that formed approximately 100,000 years ago as a result of a major volcanic eruption, and Showashinzan found in this region is a great region for studying tectonic movement. The second site, the Itoigawa region, boasts one of Japan's largest active faults and remains from the Jomon Period. The third site, the Shimabara Peninsula, shows the impact of volcanic eruption as well as the subsequent reconstruction of the Mount Unzen-Fugendake. The evaluation process views activities that incorporate lessons learned from natural disasters into education and tourism as being particularly important. The 3 sites described above not only teach people about tectonic movement or the fury of volcanic eruptions, they also make efforts to protect and pass such learning on to the next generation. These sites that provide opportunities to learn "how people have been living in harmony with the ever-changing environment" in front of spectacular scenery are expected to become increasingly valuable in the future.