TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - There are nearly 30 geoparks in Indonesia which are hoped to become the backbone of the country`s environment-based tourism.

However, there are only two of them that are globally known and are approved by UNESCO. The two are Mount Batur Geopark in Bali and Gunungsewu Geopark in Yogyakarta.

The rest have a national status or are still the candidates for the global geopark network. Here are five candidates of the UNESCO Global Geoparks in Indonesia.

1. Ciletuh-Palabuhanratu Geopark

The Ciletuh-Palabuhanratu National Geopark area (GNCP) is expected to become a global geopark following an analysis by UNESCO in August 2017, where its status will be decided in September 2018. This area is proof of the occurrence of tectonic plate collisions between continental and oceanic plates.

2. Sangkulirang-Mangkalihat Geopark

The cave paintings within the caves in the Sangkulirang-Mangkalihat karsts was suggested to be a Geopark in April 2017. The paintings were researched extensively by Indonesia’s Heritage Preservation Hall (BPCB) for its preservation.

3. Gunungsewu Geopark

UNESCO officially named Gunungsewu Geopark as part of the Global Geoparks Networks in September 2015. The 1,802 square kilometer Geopark includes three districts such as Gunung Kidul, Pacitan, and Wonogiri where It is set to be revalidated in 2019.

4. Caldera Toba Geopark

In 2011, the geopark was originally suggested to bear the name Geopark Toba. However, it is changed to Caldera Toba Geopark considering that Toba Lake is an area that is formed by an eruption of a supervolcano which formed a caldera.

5. Mount Batur Geopark in Bali

The Mount Batur caldera was officially included in UNESCO’s global geopark networks on September 20, 2012. The geopark includes 15 villages in Kintamani sub-district and Batur sub-district. The Batur caldera was accepted by UNESCO as a member of the Global Geoparks Network and is currently placed 74th. This paved the way for Indonesia to become a member of the Global Geoparks Network.

TITO AGUSTIN RUDIANA | SAPRI MAULANA| ANWAR SISWADI | BRAM SETIAWAN | ASKAR MONDZA