Geodiversity, Geotourism, Geoconservation, and Sustainable Development in Xiangxi UNESCO Global Geopark—a Case Study in Ethnic Minority Areas

The Xiangxi Geopark was officially approved as a UNESCO Global Geopark in July 2020 and was designated as a new member based on the characteristics of ethnic minority areas within the park. With outstanding geoheritage resources and a long history of Tujia and Miao minorities’ cultures, the Xiangxi UNESCO Global Geopark (XXGG) combines the extraordinary beauty of man and nature; however, there have been no relevant reports yet on this geopark. In XXGG, there are 6 types of geosites, with 90 individual geosites including 4 of international significance, which are from the Guzhangian Stage and Paibian Stage of Global Standard Stratotype-section and Points (GSSPs) in the Cambrian System, the world’s largest karst red stone forest landscape, and a spectacular karst platform-canyon landscape. By classifying all the geoheritage sites and creating different levels of protection measures, the geopark makes a clear distinction between utilization and protection. Because of the distinctive and closed geological background, the Tujia and Miao ethnic minorities in the geopark have formed a unique lifestyle over the past thousand years. With the construction of geoparks, ethnic minorities have been able to promote their lifestyles and be lifted out of poverty through geotourism. XXGG maintains and supports the right of decision-making by the ethnic minority people. Therefore, the people are truly willing to take initiatives in management of the parks. This is a successful case study of participation in geoparks by ethnic minorities. A future long-term development plan has been designed and resilient systems are formed. XXGG might promote ethnic minority areas better after joining UNESCO Global Geoparks and may provide a reference for other similar areas.