Mourne Gullion Strangford awarded UNESCO Global Geopark status
It follows a meeting of officials in Paris
Last updated 25th May 2023
Mourne Gullion Strangford has been awarded internationally coveted UNESCO Global Geopark status.
Geoparks are areas of exceptional geological significance. UNESCO Global Geoparks are single, unified geographical areas where sites and landscapes of international geological significance are managed with a holistic concept of protection, education and sustainable development.
UNESCO officials met in Paris yesterday (Wed) and announced that the site had been welcomed into its network of global Geoparks, making it one of only 18 outstanding landscapes worldwide to be awarded full accreditation this year.
The landscape encompasses Newry, Mourne and Down District Council’s three Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty: Mourne, Ring of Gullion and Strangford Lough and Lecale.
Mourne Gullion Strangford’s varied and beautiful landscape has been shaped over aeons by the collision of continents, the appearance and disappearance of oceans, through tumultuous volcanic events, and the rough treatment of ice ages. It has shaped a rich biodiversity and a vibrant cultural life, which the new Geopark will celebrate.
It is unique amongst UNESCO Global Geoparks as it tells ‘A Tale of Two Oceans’ across 400 million years of geological history.
The geology of the area charts the closure of the ancient Iapetus Ocean, which brought together the island of Ireland's two parts. It follows the island drifting with the continents through tropical latitudes and then welcomes the birth of the modern North Atlantic Ocean. Finally, the last glaciation carved this ancient landscape into the fantastic place we see today. No other UNESCO Global Geoparks has such a range of geological characteristics or can tell this story.
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Councillor Michael Savage said he was delighted that Geopark status was confirmed. “The status of the Geopark is hard won; since 2012 the Council’s Geopark project, in partnership with the Geological Survey Northern Ireland, has worked on an intense engagement programme with residents and stakeholders,” he said. “As a result, everyone involved is delighted that Mourne Gullion Strangford has been awarded the UNESCO Global Geopark (UGG) status in recognition of this work and the extraordinary landscape it praises. It puts us on the world stage and firmly on people's bucket lists of places they must see.”
A Geopark is a single unified geographical area, in this case, stretching from the waters of Strangford across the Mourne Mountains to the Ring of Gullion and beyond.
The Mourne Gullion Strangford UNESCO Global Geopark is about working together to make the most of our beautiful landscape through sustainable tourism, biodiversity improvements, geological education and sustainably managed outdoor recreation.
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