UNESCO Global Geopark is an international territorial label awarded by UNESCO as part of the International Geosciences and Geoparks Programme. It designates areas with a remarkable geological heritage that are implementing a sustainable development project in collaboration with, and for the benefit of, the local population. It is one of the 3 UNESCO designations (along with World Heritage Sites and Man and biosphere Reserves).

The Massif des Bauge Regional Nature Park became France’s third Geopark in 2011 at the 10th European Geopark Network Conference in Langesund (Norway). The area is classified as a Regional Nature Park by ministerial decree in 1995.

This label is awarded for a period of 4 years, at the end of which an expert visit is mandated by UNESCO in order to qualify for renewal. Our Geopark was revalidated in 2015 and 2019. A new assessment visit is scheduled for the summer of 2023.

The synclinal fold became the emblem of the park from the outset, with its in the “Nature Park” oval, a symbol that allows each of France’s regional nature parks to express its own uniqueness. In this case, it represents a fold (in this case a syncline) which is reflected in the waters of the two great natural lakes of Annecy and of Annecy and Le Bourget), demonstrating the role of geology in the identity of the region.

See the first film presenting the Massif des Bauges Geopark