thumb|right|alt=circular logo of the global geoparks network the global geoparks network (ggn) (also known as the global network of national geoparks) is a unesco assisted network established in 1998. managed under the bodyâs ecological and earth sciences division, the ggn seeks the promotion and conservation of the planetâs geological heritage, as well as encourages the sustainable research and development by the concerned communities.unesco division of ecological and earth sciencesglobal geoparks networkapplication guidelines and self-evaluation form for membership in the global geoparks network ==the network== right|thumb|350px|the world distribution of geoparks as of 2014.  the international network seeks the membership geoparksâgeographical areas where geological heritage is the focus of local protection, education and development. a set of criteria as established by unesco must first be met for a geopark, as nominated by the corresponding government, to be included in the ggn: * the existence of a management plan designed to foster socio-economic development that is sustainable (most likely to be based on agritourism and geotourism); * demonstrate methods for conserving and enhancing geological heritage and provide means for teaching geoscientific disciplines and broader environmental issues; * joint-proposals submitted by public authorities, local communities and private interests acting together, which demonstrate the best practices with respect to earth heritage conservation and its integration into sustainable development strategies criteria satisfaction is evaluated during biennial meetings (every even year) by the geoparks committee, known as the international conference on geoparks, which is also in charge with the periodic review of projects related to geological awareness. the first members of the ggn were named during the first conference in 2004, and it has continued to grow since then: {| class="wikitable sortable" border="2" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 0 1em 0 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |- bgcolor="efefef" ! session ! year ! site ! date |- |align="center"| 1st |align="center"| 2004 | beijing, china | june 27&ndash;july 7 |- |align="center"| 2nd |align="center"| 2006 | belfast, united kingdom | september 17&ndash;21 |- |align="center"| 3rd |align="center"| 2008 | osnabrÃ¼ck, germany | june 22&ndash;26 |- |align="center"| 4th |align=&q
Geoparks Global_Geoparks_Network_members UNESCO