Geoparks: The Traveller's Notebook is not a guide, it is neither a technical manual, nor a promotional brochure, nor a gallery of images. It is an original creation, born from the creative energy of the Global Geoparks Network (GGN), an invitation to explore territories differently, through the sensitive gaze of a virtual traveller who journeys across the 229 UNESCO Global Geoparks of the world. 

Since its foundation, the GGN has aimed to connect geoscience, culture, nature, and society. More than simply linking UNESCO Geoparks, the GGN gives them coherence, visibility, and a collective voice. It supports territories in their development, and constantly innovates to reach wider audiences through new formats and languages. This book is a bold demonstration of that commitment. 

Each UNESCO Global Geopark is presented on a single page, through a poetic narrative that captures the atmosphere of the place, an artistic illustration inspired by the traveller’s perspective, a one-minute immersive video accessible via QR code, and a direct link to its geolocation and digital resources. It is not about saying everything, it is about awakening curiosity, evoking emotion, stirring a desire to explore. 

UNESCO Global Geoparks are here presented in a clear and original geographical structure, grouped by country and by the corresponding GGN regional network. Each region opens with a location map of its Geoparks. Each country with UNESCO Global Geoparks has its own detailed map. This cartographic approach gives readers a tangible understanding of the network's territorial depth. It reveals a powerful message: Geoparks are not isolated sites, they are living parts of an interconnected global family. 

The journey proposed in this book follows an optimized itinerary, with the travel time between each Geopark indicated. This sense of continuity highlights the rhythms of geology, the transitions of landscape and culture, embedding each site into a broader lived geography. The reading experience becomes a flowing route, where each step opens a new world, a new story, a new encounter. 

This editorial project was led by a dedicated creative team under the guidance of Guy Martini, General Secretary of our organization and one of the founding figures of the Geopark concept. For each Geopark, the team created a text, an illustration, a video, and a precise location. The result is a singular object, aesthetic, accessible, interactive, and meaningful. The narratives are voluntarily subjective, artistic evocations rather than descriptive inventories, each one offering a personal window into the identity of the territory. 

This book also embodies what the GGN has championed for twenty years, an integrated vision of territorial development, based on knowledge, cultural diversity, and the deep engagement of local communities. It reflects the GGN’s will to constantly explore new narratives, new ways of connecting places, people, and ideas. 

I hope this book will spark the desire to discover, to connect, to understand, and that it will, in turn, inspire other projects, other creative forms, and new dialogues with the world. Through it, a new way of reading our planet emerges, and the GGN is proud to be its guide. 

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Nickolas Zouros
President of the Global Geoparks Network (GGN)