UNESCO declares Bohol as PH’s first Global Geopark

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has added Bohol Island as one of the 18 new sites in its Global Geoparks network.

In a statement on Wednesday, UNESCO said Bohol is the Philippines’ first UNESCO Global Geopark.

“The island’s geological identity has been pieced together over 150 million years, as periods of tectonic turbulence have raised the island from the ocean depths,” UNESCO said.

For the recognition, UNESCO cited the island’s karstic geosites such as caves, sinkholes and cone karst, including the “famous cone-shaped Chocolate Hills.”

It also cited the Danajon Double Barrier Reef that has 6,000 years of coral growth, saying it is “only one of its kind in Southeast Asia” and “one of just six documented double barrier reefs on Earth.”

The reef consists of two sets of large offshore coral reefs that were formed by a combination of favorable tidal currents and coral growth on a submarine ridge in the area, it added.

UNESCO’s Executive Board has endorsed the addition of 18 sites to the UNESCO Global Geoparks network, bringing the total number to 195 in 48 countries.

With the latest development, two UNESCO member states joined the network: New Zealand and the Philippines. —Joviland Rita/KBK, GMA Integrated News