The English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark covers 62.4 square kilometers of land and 41.5 square kilometers of sea in the area of Torbay, England. It has over 137,000 residents and receives 3.5 million visitors annually, making it the most densely populated geopark in the world. The geopark focuses on promoting the diverse geological heritage of the area, which spans 400 million years from the Devonian to Quaternary periods. Geopark designation has provided benefits to Torbay such as increased destination marketing and tourism, partnerships with other global geoparks, and educational programs that have reached thousands of students. Major events like the 2016 International Geopark Conference brought global awareness

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English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark
FACET International Workshop – Perth WA
Nick Powe – May 2018
Torbay
English Riviera
UNESCO Geopark
62.4 km2 of land
41.5 km2 of sea
137,000 residents
3.5 million visitors
Urban Geopark and still
the most densely
populated in the World
Focus on the geological heritage in Torbay
• Devonian – Torquay is
type locality
• Permian – Creatures older
than dinosaurs at Goodrington
• Quaternary – Oldest
human settlement in Europe
400 million years
Torquay is type locality for
Marine Devonian RocksSir Roderick
Murchison
Adam
Sedgwick
Formationof Pangaea
“Variscan Orogeny”
Mountain building process

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Permian - 290mya to 245mya
Permian-Triassic Mass extinction event
Quaternary
2mya to present
Hopes Nose
Raised Beach
125,000 years ago
Garfish
Cave
Flooded
limestone
solution cave
flooded with
marine and
brackish water
cave habitats
Berry Head, Brixham
What is our Global Geopark?
• An single area with
internationally important
geological heritage that uses
this to deliver education,
scientific research, community
engagement and Geotourism
as a catalyst for creating social
and economic benefits.

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The Rock Connects us
• The geology is
important but…
• .... hollistic approach
to managing and
marketing a territory
where geology is the
“golden thread”
Marine and Terrestrial Biodiversity
Built & Cultural Heritage
Geopark
ERGO Ltd
Plymouth
University
English
RivieraTourism
(BIDCo)
Torbay Council
Geosites (eg
Kents Cavern)
Torbay
Community
Development
TrustRegional
Economic
Development
Agency
Torbay Coast
& Countryside
Trust
Museums
Torbay Culture
Board
Geopark
Ambassadors
Management
Structure
Coordinators
• Melanie Border
– Member of the UGG Council
– Coordinator of the ERUGG
– UNESCO Geopark evaluator
• Nick Powe
– Chair of the ERUGG management group
– UNESCO Geopark evaluator
Black Country Aspiring Geopark
Dudley,
Sandwell,
Walsall &
Wolverhampton
256 km2
1.1 million
residents

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• 140 Geoparks (May 18)
• 38 member states
• Europe, Japan, Uruguay,
Brazil, Morocco,
Indonesia, China,
Vietnam, Korean,
Canada
Katla Geopark, Iceland
Eyjafjallajökull, Grimsvotn
Malaysia
What does Geopark status
give Torbay?
• Focus on geological heritage
• Unique and powerful
destination marketing
• Activities embracing
UNESCO
• Share best practise across a
global network
Partnerships
Zhangjiajie
Geopark
Rift Valley
– Aspiring
Geopark
Kenya
Hong
Kong
Geopark
Geopark Ambassadors Programme

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Collins Educational Geography
Enquiry
• Collins Key Stage 3 Geography
- Geographical Enquiry
– Teacher's & Students Book
• Chapter dedicated to Torbay’s
Geopark and Kents Cavern
• 25,000 copies
EU Funding - Comenius Schools
Programme
• Secondary schools host
exchange visit with Geoparks in
Norway, Germany, Italy, Hungary,
Austria and France
(GeaNorvegica Geopark, Bergstrasse-
Odenwald, Madonie, Novohrad
Nograd plus a Natural Park in France)
• Live E-school link up with the
Hong Kong Global Geopark
Geopark Interpretation Centres
for Geo-Itineraries
Geoplay Park, Paignton
World’s only geological
themed children’s play area
4 zones: Devonian, Carboniferous,
Permian and Quaternary Natural Environment

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Adrenalin Discovery
Packages Geopark Festival Week
May Half term
• Celebrating 10 years of the Geopark
• Events across the Bay
Creative
• Journey across the Bay
• Local artists and young
people inspired by the place
• The Basic Rock Song
www.englishrivierageopark.org.uk
7th International Conference on UNESCO Global
Geoparks in Torquay – Sept 2016
• 700 delegates
– 153 from China
– 80 from Japan
– 75 from Indonesia
• 63 countries
• £1.6m into Torbay
• Global awareness
Highway signage
www.englishrivierageopark.org.uk