Global Network of National Geoparks

Portuguese Forum of Rural Innovation attributes award to the European Geoparks Network

Source :European Geoparks Network Published :August 6, 2015

The Borderland Fair held at Idanha-a-Nova, Naturtejo Global Geopark in Portugal is one of the best practices of transboundary cooperation between Portugal and Spain. Celebrating its 19thanniversary this exhibition of economic activities includes the 1stWorld Forum on Rural Innovation. For three days this international meeting will discuss innovative initiatives and practices related with the rural. The Forum will share experiences, best practices and research, including the best examples of entrepreneurship developed in the countryside. For the first time the “Oscar” of the Rural World was awarded to the European Geoparks Network.This award celebrates 15 years of the Geoparks project all around the world that started with four pioneering rural territories – Maestrazgo (Spain), Vulkaneifel (Germany), Haut-Provence (France) and Lesvos (Greece) – seeking in the geological heritage an innovative opportunity to sustain local development. The outstanding results are now followed by an increasing number of mainly rural territories all over the world. The award was attributed by the State Secretary of Food and Agrofood Research, Nuno Brito, by the President of the Cáceres Province (Spain), Rosario Cordero and by Armindo Jacinto, Mayor of Idanha-a-Nova and President of the Administration of the Naturtejo Global Geopark, to Dr. Charalampos Fassoulas, representing the European Geoparks Network in the occasion of the revalidation mission conducted together with Dr. Zhao Zhizhong from the National Committee of Geoparks of China. Under a full auditorium Dr. Fassoulas acknowledged the gold-granite award and spoke for the EGN about the development he witnessed during the last week by visiting the two neighbor geoparks, Naturtejo and Villuercas European and Global Geoparks.

 

 

 

The Borderland Fair will show until this Sunday local products, PDOs, biological, natural among others, from Idanha-a-Nova, the Naturtejo Global Geopark, Beira Baixa Province and the Spanish Extremadura.