Discovery Geopark, situated on the northern section of the Bonavista Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador, has successfully retained its designation as a Global Geopark by UNESCO. The park initially received international recognition in 2020 for its distinctive rock formations and fossil discoveries. However, there was a recent concern about its status when UNESCO highlighted the need for certain improvements.
Periodically, UNESCO sends evaluators to Global Geoparks for an assessment to determine if they meet the required standards. This evaluation involves a thorough site visit lasting several days, after which the park is issued a green, yellow, or red card to indicate its standing. A green card signifies the renewal of its status, while a yellow card indicates a two-year period to address any deficiencies to avoid receiving a red card, which would result in losing its designation.
Discovery Geopark faced the risk of losing its green card due to UNESCO’s recommendations for securing stable funding, ensuring full-time staffing, developing a staff succession plan, enhancing signage at inland geo sites, updating logos, improving access and visitor safety, and aligning tourism promotion efforts with partners. Notably, the park gained recognition in 2020 for its Ediacaran fossils, some of which can be viewed from the boardwalk in Port Union, dating back approximately 560 million years and representing early multicellular life forms.
Following the implementation of the recommended changes, Discovery Geopark successfully regained its green card status during the recent evaluation in Chile. It stands as one of Canada’s five geoparks and is among the 229 geoparks globally recognized by UNESCO.