On the morning of December 23, the administrative office of Zhangjiajie UGGp organized three geo-science popularization lectures in the lecture hall of the newly upgraded geopark museum, under the support of Education Branch of Wulingyuan District and the district’s Tourism Vocational School. Mr. Liu Baoan, an expert on world heritage in the National Forestry and Grassland Administration of China, Mr. Huang Heqing, a professor of geomorphology in the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research of Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of Research Center for Zhangjiajie Geomorphology, and Ms Li Jingyu, a Ph.D candidate at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands offered very interesting lectures.

From the concept of world heritage conservation, geomorphic characteristics and scientific significance of Zhangjiajie UGGp, and the relationship between geo-heritage protection and community sustainable development, the three experts and scholars provided detailed and yet understandable explanations on the main features of World Heritage Sites in China, the formative process and scientific significance of Zhangjiajie Landscape, and the ideas and measures of sustainable development of Zhangjiajie UGGp, to more than 100 teachers and students from Tourism Vocational School of Wulingyuan District.

These lectures, on the one hand, led teachers and students understand the importance of world heritage conservation and the characteristics and formative distinctiveness and systemic integration of Zhangjiajie Landscape, and so deepened their understanding of the scientific value of Zhangjiajie Landscape. On the other hand, they further promoted the concept of conservation and development in the management of global geoparks and consequently strengthened the understanding of the teacher and students on the sustainable development of Zhangjiajie UGGp. Zhangjiajie UGGp has been organizing geo-science popularization activities at various times, which have been warmly welcomed by teachers and students.