Cape Ortegal is now a Unesco World Geopark

  • The Executive Council of Unesco ratified the proposal of the municipalities of Cariño, Cerdeira, Cerdido, Moeche, Ortigueira, San Sadurniño and Valdoviño.
  • It becomes the second Galician territory to receive the distinction.

 

Cabo Ortegal is already part of the world network of Unesco Geoparks. The candidacy, promoted by the Association for the Management of the Cape Ortegal Geopark and presented in 2021, was ratified by the Unesco Executive Council last week.

 

The UNESCO auditors visited the area made up of the municipalities of Cariño, Cedeira, Cerdido, Moeche, Ortigueira, San Sadurniño and Valdoviño in August 2022. After their visit, the professionals extolled the natural and cultural heritage of the land, highlighting the wealth geology of its surroundings. The territory harbors rocks on the surface that are more than 490 million years old and materials that are normally found more than 70 kilometers deep.

 

Obtaining this distinctive, a seal at the same level as that of World Heritage, enables and encourages the expansion of knowledge of the territory. Worldwide there are 194 recognized geoparks, of which 16 are in Spain. Ortegal is the second Galician territory to receive this certification after the declaration of the Xeoparque Montañas del Courel in 2019.

 

Geoparks are synonymous with sustainable and seasonally adjusted tourism, mixing nature with heritage, tradition, gastronomy and geology. The badge is not permanent, but will be reviewed every 4 years to verify that the objectives of development, conservation, education, science, territorial revitalization, communication, etc. are met.