Berau Pushes UNESCO Geopark Recognition With UGM Partnership

RRI.CO.ID, Berau - Berau Regency in East Kalimantan is moving steadily onto the global stage by accelerating efforts to secure UNESCO Global Geopark recognition for the Sangkulirang-Mangkalihat Geopark. That strategic push is being pursued in partnership with the Tourism Studies Center at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) to develop a management blueprint focused on conservation, tourism, and economic diversification.

The collaboration is researching opportunities to diversify the local economy by optimizing the Sangkulirang-Mangkalihat Geopark’s potential on the Berau side for tourism and creative-economy development.

“This joint study with UGM’s Tourism Studies Center is expected to produce management directions that can drive regional economic transformation,” said Head of Berau’s Planning, Research and Development Agency (Bapelitbang), Endah Ernani Triariani, in Tanjung Redeb, Berau Regency, on Wednesday, 25 June 2026.

As part of the process, the team has collected data and information and presented a preliminary report on the Regional Action Plan (RAD) for Geopark Management in Berau for 2026–2032. She said last week’s preliminary report marks the first step in drafting the strategic document that will guide Geopark Berau’s management over the next seven years.

Participants in the preliminary briefing included the Sangkulirang-Mangkalihat Geopark management team for the Berau area, academics from UGM’s Tourism Studies Center, and other stakeholders.

“The preparation of this initial study is part of implementing Berau Regency’s Regional Long-Term Development Plan, which directs an incremental economic shift from the mining sector to tourism,” she said, as quoted by Antara.

A researcher at UGM’s Tourism Studies Center, Destha Titi Raharjana, explained that geopark development must be integrated into a sustainable development strategy that maximizes environmental service potential.

Under the seven-year development and management concept, Berau’s future is expected to rely less on nonrenewable resources such as coal mining and more on sustainable management of environmental services.

He urged all stakeholders to take an active role in preparing the study to support the expedited recognition of the Sangkulirang-Mangkalihat Geopark as a UNESCO Global Geopark.

“The RAD for Geopark Management Berau 2026–2032 will serve as a guide for regional apparatus and all stakeholders to design directed, integrated, and sustainable programs. This strategic framework aims to support a regional economic transformation based on conservation and tourism,” he said. ***