On October 10, the 10th International Training Course on UNESCO Global Geoparks officially opened at Yandangshan Global Geopark. Experts, scholars and representatives of Global Geoparks from China, France, Portugal, Germany, Japan, Thailand, the Republic of Korea and other countries gathered at the "First Mountain in Southeast China". Staff from Zhijindong Cave Global Geopark attended the seven-day programme of learning, discussion and field study.

Hosted jointly by China University of Geosciences (Beijing) and Yandangshan Global Geopark, the training course themed “Challenges, Opportunities and Sustainable Development” stands as one of the top capacity-building events in the global geopark community. It brought together leading experts from the UNESCO Global Geopark Council, the Global Geopark Network Executive Board and Advisory Committee, academic institutions and Global Geoparks. Combining classroom lectures, roundtable discussions, case studies and field investigations, the training systematically covered core topics including the philosophy and criteria of UNESCO Global Geoparks, evaluation and revalidation procedures, geoheritage conservation, geoscience popularisation and education, sustainable tourism, community engagement, disaster prevention and risk reduction. Special sessions were also held during the training, such as celebrations for the International Geodiversity Day, a women’s salon and a workshop marking the International Day for Disaster Reduction.

During the training, participants from Zhijindong Cave UGGp took an active part in exchange activities. We joined thematic group discussions on geological disaster reduction and engaged in in-depth exchanges with international counterparts on geological hazard risk prevention and control, disaster prevention outreach and networking cooperation to share experience and generate ideas. In the case-study session, the participants presented achievements in community-based geoscience outreach and education at Zhijindong Cave Global Geopark, further raising its international profile.

Following the seminars, field excursions were arranged for all participants. Delegates visited key sites of Yandangshan Global Geopark including the Geopark Museum, Fangdong, Lingyan and Lingfeng. We examined geological interpretation panels, listened to guided briefings and learned best practices in volcanic geoheritage management and the development of science communication systems.