What is a Geopark?

A geopark is a UNESCO designated area that contains sites of geological importance or interest with the intention of conserving that area and its heritage. These areas may be selected as a geopark due to their scientific/historic importance, rarity or beauty, which will promote their conservation due to their use as a potential tourist attraction.

Due to the increased interest in preserving Jersey’s (and the rest of the world’s) climate and landscapes, using geoparks as a way to conserve and promote conservation of these areas will prove beneficial to the natural landscape of these places.

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Jersey’s Geopark Map

For our L’etacq geopark photoshoot trip, we visited the Jersey Museum where there was a geopark visitor centre that focuses on Jersey’s geoparks, what they are and why. We also spoke to Dr. Ralph Nicols about Jersey’s geology, as this is considered to be a large part of Jersey’s heritage.

Their website:

https://www.jerseyheritage.org/explore/geopark/visitor-centre/

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Sites of Special Interest

Sites of Special interest are areas that are given a designation (similar to a geopark) to preserve their unique/rare biological or geological features, such as being home to a rare species.

These sites may be protected for different reasons:

• They are considered to be wildlife havens, meaning the animals that live there are undisturbed and protected
• They can be used as natural laboratories, which provides a site for experiments and research on nature
• They can be used for educational resources, allowing students from many subjects (history, geography, science(s), photography, etc…)

Some of Jersey’s SSIs/Geoparks

https://blog.gov.je/2018/02/06/jerseys-sites-special-interest/

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