Background

Current status

UNESCO Global Geopark status is only ever awarded for a four-year period at a time. The ERUGGp Revalidation in 2023 was successful, and a Green Card was awarded to the English Riviera ensuring that the area, provided it continues to adhere to the UNESCO International Geoscience and Geoparks Programme Statutes and Guidelines, retains the status for the next four-year period.  

Benefits of the UNESCO designation for Torbay

• UNESCO Global Geopark is the highest-level international designation the bay has.
• Torbay is the only seaside resort in the England to hold this highly sought-after international designation
• The UNESCO Global Geopark model is a driver for education, community benefits, expansion of the tourism offer, and sympathetic regeneration
• The UNESCO label is a designation of quality that provides the opportunity to promote the area at an international level
• Through the work of the UK National Commission for UNESCO the profile of the English Riviera is raised within DCMS and other relevant government departments and national level organisations
• The UNESCO designation is a tool that can be used to attract inward investment
• The UNESCO Global Geopark designation is the ultimate recognition of Torbay’s Naturally Inspiring strapline
• The holistic nature of the designation supports and enhances multi-disciplinary partnership at working at the local, national and international levels and as such the Geopark umbrella brings together key partner organisations covering the entire unitary authority and beyond for a common goal (For membership of the Geopark Management Group see Appendix 1)
• In addition to the core partners the Geopark now has 26 local Associate Partners supporting the designation (for a list of all partners see Appendix 2)
• The UNESCO designation is a hook for external funders that makes local projects stand out
• The entire ethos of UNESCO Global Geoparks is to support their communities and the sustainable economic development of the territory.  As such all of the Geoparks work and achievements, alongside all of the collective related work of the core, associate and artist partners (see Appendix 2) contribute to Torbay Council's four visions
  • Thriving Community
  • Thriving Economy
  • Tackling Climate Change
  • Council Fit for the Future
• The designation, awarded in 2007 and covers the entire administrative area of Torbay
• The Geopark is a platform to engage Torbay with Sustainable Development such as climate change, clean seas, environment, responsible consumption and health and wellbeing initiatives   

International and national context

• The purpose of a Geopark is to explore, develop and celebrate the links between that geological heritage and all other aspects of the area’s natural, cultural and intangible heritage. It is about reconnecting human society at all levels to the local area, to the wider environment and to celebrate how our planet and it’s 4,600 million year long history has shaped every aspect of our lives and our societies and will continue to do so in the future.
• As of September 2023, there are 195 UNESCO Global Geoparks spread across 48 Countries (9 in the UK). Each year new areas apply for this sought-after designation. 
• There are 2 other UNESCO Geoparks in England (Black Country and North Pennines), 2 in Wales (Fforest Fawr - Brecon Beacons and GeoMon - Anglesey) 2 in Scotland (NW Highlands and Shetland Islands) and 2 in Northern Ireland (Cuilcagh Lakelands (cross-border) and Mourne Guillion Strangford)
• The designation is recognised by UNESCO (United Nations Education Science and Cultural Organisation and once awarded is reviewed and revalidated every 4 years.
• In November 2015 UNESCO fully recognised the work of the Global Geopark Network through the introduction of a new UNESCO Programme, The International Geoscience and Geoparks Programme (IGGP). All existing members of the Network became UNESCO Global Geoparks and as such are recognised on a par with the existing Programmes of UNESCO g., World Heritage Sites and Biosphere Reserves.
• The UK National Commission for UNESCO recent report National Value of UNESCO to the UK (published June 2020), which features the ERUGGp, highlights the following key findings:

1. 1. UNESCO designations added a minimum of £151 million of financial benefit to the UK in one year
   2. UNESCO Designations make a rich and creative contribution to the UK’s environment, culture and communities and are united in promoting peace and sustainable development agenda through conservation, research, education, capacity building and management and planning
   3. Investment in the UK’s UNESCO designations would increase cross-disciplinary work and enhance their contribution to the UK economy and society, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Local context

• The designation is now embedded within Torbay strategic documents local plans and policies
• Within the ERUGGp there is a wealth of sites for the local community and visitors to explore and enjoy that share the stories of the Geopark including:
  • The nationally protected, award winning prehistoric Kents Cavern a Scheduled Ancient Monument and SSSI.
  • The beautiful landscape, incredible biodiversity, and Napoleonic history of Berry Head National Nature Reserve.
  • The fascinating heritage of Torre Abbey, also a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
  • Occombe Farm provides wonderful facilities that enables families to engage with the local environment, farming and farm animals in a colourful and exciting way for all to enjoy
• The spectacular coastline of the Geopark can be experienced through boat trips while for the more adventurous there are activities such as kayaking, climbing and coasteering.
• The designation provides both National and International profile, and networking opportunities.
• The designation provides opportunities to improve both social and economic sustainability
• The Coordinator of the English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark is also a voting member of the Global Geopark Network Executive Board and completed a four-year term on the inaugural UNESCO Global Geopark Council (2016 – 2020)

Introduction to the geology

All UNESCO Global Geoparks around the world celebrate their internationally significant geology and interrelated environment, heritage and culture. In Torbay, the geology at the heart of the designation covers four time periods, the Devonian, Carboniferous, Permian and Quaternary with discoveries being of such importance that they lead to the naming of the Devonian Period itself, changed the understanding of the antiquity of man and today are recognised through one of the highest concentrations of protected geological sites in the UK.  Such a rich geological heritage and the sheltered aspect and subsequent micro-climate it created, has provided perfect habitats for specialist plants to thrive on the thin limestone soils, rare birds to find homes on the cliff ledges and farmland fringes, endangered bats to roost in the caves, whilst underwater sea horses shelter amongst sea grass.  Geology has also shaped our human history with the natural harbour at Brixham developing into the second largest fishing port in the country and the rich soils providing the ideal farming conditions for the early inhabitants of Torre Abbey and Cockington.  What was once attractive to the cavemen of Kents Cavern is still attractive to the residents and visitors of today. 

Devonian - from around 420 to 360 million years ago

The grey limestone rocks of the Bay, easily seen at Hopes Nose and Berry Head, were formed in warm tropical seas south of the equator. Corals and sponges abounded, building highly biodiverse reef-system. Meanwhile volcanoes blasted away, periodically blanketing the sea floor with ash and debris.

Carboniferous - from around 360 to 299 million years

Huge tectonic forces moved the Devonian sediments northwards, and they were squashed, folded and faulted when two continents collided, and a giant mountain range formed as a result.

Permian - from around 299 to 252 million years ago

The mountains began to erode away in the middle of a some of the hottest deserts ever known, leaving the ancient limestone and other rocks exposed at the surface. All the red rocks of the bay were formed in this desert, at a similar latitude to the Sahara today.  Meanwhile giant 1.5m millipedes scurried around the wadis where the mountains met desert plains.

Quaternary - from around 700,000 years ago

Although having arrived at the same latitude as today, the region saw dramatic oscillations from warm Mediterranean-style climates to bitterly, cold Ice ages. During glacial conditions the English Channel was waterless and the local caves records show that giant extinct animals such as mammoths and lions inhabited these landscapes, along with some the earliest traces of people in Britain.