Geotourism and geoparks for sustainable rural development and poverty alleviation: Huanggang Dabieshan UNESCO Global Geopark, China

Abstract

The Dabieshan area in China is rich in geodiversity, in terms of representative and comprehensive system of granite landscapes, with huge scientific value for studying the Phanerozoic orogenic belt magmatism, as well as aesthetic, recreational and cultural values for tourism. The importance of granite landscapes in Dabieshan was globally recognised when the Huanggang Dabieshan UNESCO Global Geopark (DBGG) was accepted in the Global Geoparks Network in 2018. With over 10 years of experience and a concerted effort to develop geotourism and alleviate poverty, the DBGG has followed a mature system of development, providing a well-developed example of successful geotourism and poverty alleviation in China. This study explores the current geotourism and geopark activities in relation to sustainable rural development and poverty alleviation in the DBGG and proposes expanding the geotourism industry, emphasising the cultivation of agricultural pillar industries and supporting policies and projects as an effective measure to alleviate poverty in the geopark area. Geodiversity, geotourism and geoparks exhibit essential credentials for poverty alleviation and sustainable rural development in the Dabieshan area. Through these effective measures and unremitting efforts, the DBGG has become a major tourist destination that can be used as a model for the development of geotourism and poverty alleviation.

KEY POINTS

1. Huanggang Dabieshan UNESCO Global Geopark is rich in geodiversity that has huge scientific value for studying the orogenic belt magmatism.

2. Measures have been undertaken to alleviate poverty in the Huanggang Dabieshan UNESCO Global Geopark area.

3. Huanggang Dabieshan UNESCO Global Geopark provides a model for the development of geotourism and poverty alleviation in China.

Keywords:

• geodiversity
• geotourism
• poverty alleviation
• sustainable rural development
• Huanggang Dabieshan Global Geopark (China)
• geopark

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Prof. Alan Briggs and two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and language improvement. We also thank Prof. Xiaochi Li, who made a careful revision sentence by sentence on this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest or competing interests.

Additional information

Funding

This project was co-sponsored by the Doctoral Foundation of Normal University of Huanggang, China [Grant No. 2042019010], the Advanced Cultivation Program of Normal University of Huanggang [Grant No. 204201911903], the Scientific Research Project of Huanggang Natural Resources and Planning Bureau [Grant No. 20120200460] and the 2021 Open Fund Project of Dabie Mountain Tourism Economy and Culture Research Center, Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences in Universities of Hubei Province [Grant No. 202113204].