Analysis on Temporal and Spatial Evolution of UNESCO Global Geoparks and Impact Factors

Since 2015, the new label of UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGps) has been ratified by UNESCO, attracting more public attention. By 2021, there are 169 UNESCO Global Geoparks in 44 countries. Different from the Biosphere Reserves and World Heritage Sites, UENSCO Global Geoparks are nascent projects that face various challenges. How to continuously enhance its impact in future and realize sustainable development attracted the attention of researchers. In this study, we analyzed the spatial structure of UGGp in the world and the factors affecting it. Afterwards, we made some suggestions for sustainable development of UGGp. In this research, we obtained information on the geographical location of UNESCO Global Geoparks. The spatial structure was analyzed using quantitative geography models, such as nearest neighbor index, Ripley’s K function, Gini coefficient and uniformity of distribution, kernel density analysis, taking into account the influence of economy, local policies, and geological structure. The results of econometric geographical analysis demonstrate that the distribution of UGGp is obviously non-uniform, with a calculated nearest neighbor index value R of 0.553 and a Gini coefficient of 0.804. This implies that further balancing of regional differences and sustainable development should be considered in future development. This study also found that the distribution is influenced by the level of economic development and geological structure of Geopark territories. The distribution of UGGp is denser in economically developed regions, except for the USA, which is not part of the program. In contrast, the number of UGGp increased in areas with complex geological structures due to various types of geological relics. In order to promote sustainable economic development of local communities, more consideration should be given to construction of more UGGps in less economically developed areas in the future.