Geological, biological, cultural and local wisdom heritage a key element of mersing geopark development

Abstract

The district of Mersing is bestowed with many national and international geological heritage sites dated since 350 million years ago. The high biodiversity and uniqueness of the local culture complements the geoheritage of the area. Thus, the National Geopark Committee has chosen Mersing as a territory to be developed as a geopark. Mersing Geopark development efforts were initiated in 2017 through the Mersing Geopark Scientific and Development Committee. The entire Mersing district of 6,371 square kilometers, including the marine areas right up to the Aur Archipelago is identified as the geopark area. The geoheritage here has been identified as 22 geosites, which cover land and island areas. Important flora and fauna have also been identified as being within the protected areas. The unique and preserved traditions of life, art and culture add to the value of this geopark. Several key elements were introduced to prepare Mersing Geopark before being evaluated as a national geopark candidate in December 2018, namely governance of the geopark-management based on ‘co-management’ mechanism, nature conservation – community, community economy through geotourism activities, and public education. Many programmes and activities have been carried out to face future plans for Mersing to become a UNESCO Global Geopark. Geopark enhances natural and cultural heritage resources through integrated development, geotourism development to increase income, preservation of heritage sites and empowerment of local communities to foster a strong sense of pride and belonging to a place.