Geoparks as the Territories of the 21st Century

Every local culture reflects how people use a given territory, how natural complexity has long structured its human and cultural landscapes, how communities have interacted with one another, and how people value their local resources and history. A UNESCO Global Geopark is a valuable model of cooperation for turning a region's exceptional geological and cultural heritage into an economic, social, and educational resource. The chapter reconstructs the making of the Buzău Land Geopark from its initiation in 2007 to its UNESCO designation in 2022 and revalidation in 2025. It argues that geoparks are far more than honorific titles; they are active, multi-stakeholder tools for territorial governance. The analysis is structured around five key operational elements: optimum territory, partnerships, governance, networking, and interpretation for education and tourism. Each is documented and validated through multidisciplinary research, community participation, public debate, international cooperation, and know-how transfer in an evolving socio-economic context. Geoparks are an expression of respect for the past and a promise for the future; they are the new territories of development and resilience in the 21st century, as demonstrated by the continually growing Global Geoparks Network — 241 territories from 51 countries as of 2026 — within the framework of the UNESCO International Geoscience and Geoparks Programme.