September 11 to 14, 2018, Madonna di Campiglio, in the heart of the Adamello-Brenta UGGp, Italy, the 8th International Conference on UNESCO Global Geoparks was hold. This biannual event attracts more than 850 delegates around the world, about 65 countries, all interested in geoparks and regional sustainable development.
On the 4-day conference, there are four keynote reports, 208 thematic reports and 104 posters exhibited. The conference discussed and exchanged many topics such as geosite protection and scientific research, public awareness and communication, sustainable tourism and sustainable local development, regional and International UNESCO collaborations, aspiring Geoparks and so on. Moreover, Chinese delegates took active part in this conference, conducted 24 lectures and 14 poster exhibitions, disseminated China's voice to every country around the world.
During the conference, delegates from Alxa Desert UNESCO Global Geopark attended the meeting according to the agenda and actively communicated with delegates and experts of UNESCO Global Geoparks. Other activities such as distributing promotional materials, playing ADUGGp ptomotion video and communication with other geopark representatives.
Since the initial establishment of Alxa desert GGp in 2009, last revalidation was completed in June 2017. At the award ceremony of the conference, ADUGGp is officially awarded the membership certificate of the Global Geopark Network (GGN) from 2018 to 2021. The development progress of the ADUGGp in the past years has been highly recognized by the UNESCO Global Geopark Council. Since ADUGGp become a member of GGN, it does not only increase its international popularity and influence, but also forming a good foundation for future development domestically and internationally.
