What UNESCO's work is like to revalidate the global relevance of two geoparks in RS The delegation from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) concluded, on Thursday (23), a series of technical visits to the Central Region of Rio Grande do Sul. The evaluators inspected the Caçapava and Quarta Colônia geoparks to determine whether the sites will maintain their seal of global relevance. The result of the evaluation should be announced by November. Brazil has six geoparks recognized by UNESCO, two of which are in Gaucho territory, which are now undergoing the revalidation process. The observations made during the visit will form the final report, which is being prepared by evaluators from France and Portugal. ? Access the g1 RS channel on WhatsApp Just like in the first evaluation, in 2022, the itinerary included Pedra do Segredo, in Caçapava do Sul. The place is considered one of the symbols of the region's geological heritage, which covers a municipality, is 3,047 km² long and is formed over 500 million years ago. The Camaquã Mines, which are part of the country's mining history and help tell the state's geological evolution, were also visited. In the Quarta Colônia region, which covers nine municipalities in 2,923 km² and holds fossils dating back 230 million years, the work of the international mission began last week. The delegation passed through interior areas in Faxinal do Soturno, traveled on horseback in Pinhal Grande and visited Nova Palma, Silveira Martins, Dona Francisca, Agudo, Restinga Seca and Ivorá. In São João do Polêsine, the evaluators saw an exhibition about the geopark made by more than 700 students. "I feel that people here are very involved with heritage, particularly fossils, and they try to connect this geological heritage with local people. This is quite important for a geopark," said UNESCO evaluator Jean-Luc Despois. Also UNESCO evaluator Daniela Teixeira Rocha highlighted "all the valuable heritage that they are making known to us, from the cultural heritage here now to the paleontological heritage, which is absolutely incredible". The executive director of Geopark Quarta Colônia, Eduarda Caroline Brum, highlighted the role of local engagement. "Without the community embracing this heritage and understanding the value of all this, we would not be a geopark. And to maintain all this is the work of heritage education, the encouragement of tourism, the conservation of these places and especially the partnerships we have. We currently have a network of more than 150 partners", he said. For the deputy coordinator of the Quarta Colônia Geopark, Maria Medianeira Padoin, the challenge is to keep alive a heritage that unites nature, culture and regional identity. She defends the importance of "investing in people, their products, family farming, arts, music, events, giving other visibility and showing that this is the fruit of work, the fruit of our culture, and this is also one of the major investments, in addition to the investments of various businesses, in various proportions, especially related to the issue of tourism". "I believe that our region is emerging in the world", adds Maria Medianeira Padoin. Caçapava Geopark is home to Pedra do Segredo, while Quarta Colônia geopark is home to Minas do Camaquã Reproduction/RBS TV VIDEOS: Everything about RS