Parnassos eyed as UNESCO protected park
The National Park of Parnassos in Central Greece may become the country’s sixth UNESCO Global Geopark, after regional officials initiated the process of drafting the application to United Nations agency.
The UNESCO Global Geopark program provides recognition and protection to single, unified geographical areas that contain sites and landscapes of international geological significance. The aim is to manage these areas in a sustainable way.
The program began in 2001 and now includes 120 geoparks around the world, including five in Greece – the petrified forest on the island of Lesvos, Vikos in the northwestern, Psiloritis in Crete and Helmos in the Peloponnese – as well as one in Cyprus.
“The potential for the promotion and exploitation of Central Greece’s natural beauty is unlimited,” Regional Governor Costas Bakoyiannis said when announcing the decision.
