According to the UNESCO’s requirement of making a progress assessment of the UNSCO Geoparks every four years, the UNESCO organized expert groups to make a three-day reassessment of Fangshan Global Geopark of China during the period from July 22 to July 24. Professor Alissi (Spain) and Professor Fasoulas (Greece), assessment experts from the Executive Board of GGN, participated in this reassessment.

    Zhou Xufeng, Associate Counsel of Beijing Municipal Bureau of Land and Resources, hosted the Reassessment and Feedback Meeting 2014 of Fangshan Global Geopark of China. Long Changxing, Member of the Executive Board of GGN and Deputy Director of the National Geoparks Network Center, Zhao Zhizhong, Researcher of the Institute of Geomechanics, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Tian Mingzhong, Wu Fadong and Zhang Jianping, Professors from China University of Geosciences in Beijing; Ren Qihong, Head of Fangshan District and Director of the Administrative Committee of Fangshan Global Geopark of China; Tang Shurong, CPPCC Chairman of Fangshan District and Executive Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of Fangshan Global Geopark of China, Lv Shoujun, Deputy Head of Fangshan District and deputy director of Fangshan Global Geopark of China; and the concerned leaders from Hebei Provincial Department of Land and Resources, Baoding Municipal Bureau of Land and Resources, Laiyuan County, Laishui County and others attended this meeting.

    Since its establishment in 2006, Fangshan Global Geopark of China has won high attention and great support from the UNESCO and the Ministry of Land and Resources of the PRC and successfully passed its first assessment in July 2010. Based on the written suggestions from the Executive Board of GGN, it boasted a total investment of over 3 billion RMB in the past four years to promote the development of six fields, including protection of geoparks’ relics, scientific research & popularization, public service, industrial development, advertising & marketing and management improvement in a solid way. Fangshan Global Geopark of China is now on track of healthy development, becoming an important carrier which improves the ecological restoration and rebalance capacity, boosts the regional economic growth and promotes the employment and income growth. In 2013, it received 9.17 million domestic and foreign visitors and achieved tourism income of 2.65 billion RMB. It, so far, has established cooperation with 300 tourism enterprises and 196 hotels and has directly and indirectly absorbed employment of more than ten thousand people; it provides about 200 new jobs every year which greatly push the growth of local revenue and resident income.

    The Reassessment 2014 is not only an overall examination of the protection, construction and management of Fangshan Global Geopark of China, but also a big opportunity for it to promote its development level. After their watch of the advertising video of Fangshan Global Geopark of China and listen to the Report on Development Progress of Fangshan Global Geopark of China During 2010-2014 made by the Administrative Committee of Fangshan Global Geopark of China, assessment experts spoke highly of the work of Fangshan Global Geopark of China in information construction, scientific research & popularization, infrastructure constructions and others since its establishment. In addition, experts hoped to make a deep insight into the four-year development of Fangshan Global Geopark of China through this reassessment and took this opportunity to learn from each other in order to put forward more constructive suggestions for the construction of Geoparks and promote the development of Geoparks. Expert groups had successively made field visit to the Service center, Museum, Yunju Temple, Zhoukoudian Park, Shidu Park and Yesanpo Park of Fangshan Global Geopark of China.

    It is reported that the result of the reassessment in 2014 of Fangshan Global Geopark of China will be revealed at the 6th International UNESCO Geopark Conference which will be held in the Stonehammer Geopark of Canada on September 18, 2014.