Geoparks define themselves first and foremost as a network whose members are committed to working together to share experiences and cooperate. All the Geoparks make up the "Global Geopark Network" qui se réunit tous les 2 ans lors d’une conférence mondiale. which meets every 2 years for a world conference.
There are also 4 sub-networks on a continental scale: Africa, South America, Asia-Pacific and Europe. The "European Geopark Network" brings together the 75 European geoparks. Various working groups are run through this network on the major themes of geoparks: geological heritage and research, education, geotourism, etc.
History and key figures
| 1991 | | International Declaration of the Rights of the Memory of the Earth in Digne |
| 1997 | | Emergence of the Geopark concept in Europe |
| 2000 | | Creation of the European Geoparks Network |
| 2001 | | Creation of the Global Geoparks Network |
| 2015 | | The label is integrated as a programme by UNESCO |
| 2020 | | There are 147 Global Geoparks in 41 countries (7 in France) |
In France
There is also a national geoparks committee in France, which brings together the 7 Unesco global geoparks:
- Géoparc de Haute-Provence, 1st global geopark
- Géoparc du Luberon (managed by the Regional Nature Park)
- Géoparc du Massif des Bauges (managed by the Regional Nature Park)
- Géoparc du Chablais
- Géoparc des Monts d'Ardèche (managed by the Regional Nature Park)
- Géoparc des Causses du Quercy (managed by the Regional Nature Park)
- Géoparc du Beaujolais
In 2019, two new French territories are in the process of applying: le Géoparc Normandie-Maine et le Géoparc Armorique.