From ‘Traces of Dinosaur Extinction’ to ‘Secrets of Volcanic Islands’···K-Geoheritage that Protects the ‘Record of the Earth’ - 경향신문

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Yongcheon Cave, Jeju. Provided by the National Heritage Portal

Flysch strata on the Basque coast of Spain. The area is regarded as geoheritage preserving traces of a meteor impact and the mass extinction of dinosaurs about 66 million years ago. Wikimedia Commons

The sedimentary layers along Spain's Basque coast look ordinary at first glance. However, thin strata just dozens of ㎝ thick hold secrets of the dinosaur extinction triggered by a meteor impact about 66 million years ago. Turning to Korea, Bundeokjae Cave in Yeongwol, Gangwon, where diverse speleothems such as flowstone, stalactite tubes, stalagmites, and columns are preserved close to their original form, reveals geological processes that unfolded underground over vast spans of time. The lava caves of Jeju, familiar for black basalt, bear the record of how the volcanic island formed.

Rocks, strata, fossils, caves, soils, and landforms are records left by Earth. Yet nature conservation has long been organized around biodiversity and ecosystems, and geoheritage has received relatively less attention. Species can reproduce and ecosystems can recover, but geoheritage such as dinosaur footprints or speleothems, once lost, cannot be restored. With them, tens of millions of years of time vanish as well.

Heo Min, Administrator of the Korea Heritage Service (right), discusses directions for geoheritage conservation and principles of international cooperation with global geoheritage experts at the ‘Status and Prospects of K-Geoheritage’ international conference held at BEXCO in Busan on the 27th. Provided by the Korea Heritage Service

On the 27th, the Korea Heritage Service held the international academic conference ‘Status and Prospects of K-Geoheritage’ at BEXCO in Busan to develop a strategy for a conservation program for Key Geoheritage Areas (KGA). Convened 50 days before the opening of the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which will be held in Busan this July for the first time in Korea, it served as a forum for discussing geoheritage conservation. It is also the first international event to give concrete shape to the initiative after the Korea Heritage Service took a leading role in discussions on institutionalizing KGA at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, last October.

KGA refers to areas with clear boundaries that contain significant geological and geomorphological featuressuch as rocks, minerals, fossils, sediments, soils, landforms, and landscapesthat hold international value for understanding the history of Earth, the evolution of life, and the processes that shape landforms. The concept emerged to complement limitations in existing geoheritage conservation systems. UNESCO World Heritage covers both cultural and natural heritage, but only one of its ten inscription criteria directly addresses geological and geomorphological heritage. As of 2025, there are 1,248 World Heritage properties, yet only about 90 relate to geology. Moreover, UNESCO World Heritage has stringent inscription criteria, and in the case of UNESCO Global Geoparks, operational requirements are demanding, so many geoheritage sites of significant value fail to meet the thresholds.

KGA can be seen as a complementary framework that fills this gap. By identifying geoheritage based on scientific value, documenting that value, and putting protection and management systems in place, the process can lead to future nominations to World Heritage or UNESCO Global Geoparks. Above all, living beings and the environments that surround them are inseparable. Robert Cassier, an officer with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Heritage Programme, said, “Nature encompasses biodiversity and geodiversity,” adding, “The goal is to designate 1,000 KGAs by 2035, ensure that 80% of them are effectively protected, and see 25 proceed to World Heritage or UNESCO Global Geoparks.”

Dangcheomul Cave, Jeju. Provided by the National Heritage Portal

Tidal flats in Sinan, South Jeolla. Yonhap News

Of the 17 World Heritage properties in Korea, two are natural heritage: ‘Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes’ and ‘Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats’. Of these, the tidal flats embody not only biodiversity but also geological and geomorphological value shaped by sedimentation and tides, and the dinosaur fossil sites along the southern coast and Seoraksan are also cited as places of high geoheritage value.

Woo Kyung-sik, chair of the World Commission on Protected Areas Geoheritage Specialist Group, added that, with cooperation from North Korea, sites such as Mount Paektu, the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), and the Cheorwon volcanic-rock area could move into World Heritage discussions via the KGA pathway. He said, “Korea may be small in land area, but its geoheritageis outstanding,” adding, “As we engage with overseas experts, geoheritage we had not noticed continues to be found. Going forward, the Korea Heritage Service and the international community should collaborate to advance identification and conservation.”

The conference also announced the ‘KGA Korea Declaration’. It reaffirmed geoheritage as a shared asset of humanity and as a conservation target that the international community must safeguard together in the era of climate crisis, and it called for establishing international standards for implementing and scaling up the KGA program and for strengthening cooperation mechanisms. Heo Min, Administrator of the Korea Heritage Service, said, “We will ensure that geoheritage conservation takes its place as a central agenda of nature conservation in the twenty-first century,” adding, “We will build a framework of international cooperation centered on KGA that links protection and management with research and education.”

Heo Min of the Korea Heritage Service unfurls the ‘KGA Korea Declaration’ scroll at the ‘Status and Prospects of K-Geoheritage’ international conference held at BEXCO in Busan on the 27th. Provided by the Korea Heritage Service