UNESCO Global Geoparks vs. Education: a 10-Year Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGps) have become one of the most important territories for teaching geosciences and natural environment awareness in a sustainable development framework. The strategy of using geotourism and geosciences as the main engine for territorial development has successfully created an outdoor classroom where people from all over the world can learn about our planet in a scientific, cultural, and social manner. This, linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, has resulted in a safe activity for all those curious and knowledgeable people who can take a break and enjoy Earth itself with no barriers. In this study, information about UGGps and education was compiled from one of the most important databases within the international scientific community: Clarivate™ Web of Science. Its analysis shows the state of the art and the situation of this interesting topic inside the actual science context. Besides that, they give clues about the future of these territories and hints of new paths in the field of scientific research to create multiple quality educational models, accessible and adapted for everyone.

Introduction

The concept of “sustainable education” is at a key moment for its development within the sociocultural framework in which we currently find ourselves (Stein et al. 2020). The relevance of environmental care and the need to create quality education accessible for everyone have marked the plans that, since the approval by the UN Member States of the 2030 Agenda for the Sustainable Development Goals, have evolved to reach very interesting models that are continuously contributing to these objectives (Rosado-González et al. 2020, and references therein). Within these projects, the UNESCO Global Geoparks have created their own formula to support the SDGs effectively and become authentic educational territories by and for society (Fernández-Álvarez 2020). As defined by UNESCO (2022), “UNESCO Global Geoparks are single, unified geographical areas where sites and landscapes of international geological significance are managed with a holistic concept of protection, education and sustainable development” they work every day to contribute the SDGs in a sustainable way from the educational field (Henriques et al. 2012; Rosado-González et al. 2020; Silva 2021).

Every bibliometric analysis is focused on studying the data published by the scientific community on a specific topic and learns about the relationships existing between keywords to generate a global scheme of how a certain subject is from one specific point to now (O’Hern and Estgfaeller 2020). That is why, thanks to the information provided by citations, articles, or years of publication, this type of analysis is vitally important to understand how the publication trend has evolved. Furthermore, it helps us to map the progress of an initiative entails either positively or negatively (Feng et al. 2017).

In this study, a bibliographic review is carried out regarding the relationship between UGGps and education since 2012 to 2022. The general objective consists on framing the current situation and the evolution of scientific knowledge generated on this issue in the last 10 years, thus knowing the current state of the art. In addition, three specific objectives are defined:

• Quantify the amount of scientific material related to UGGps in the educational framework

• Recognize the countries that publish the most on the subject and, in consequence, understand the educational context associated with the UGGps

• Find new future paths and directions to follow for the UGGps educational programs

Methodology

All the materials and data obtained have been extracted using the export function offered by the Clarivate™ Web of Science (WoS) itself, filtering with an interval that represents the last 10 years (2012–01-01 to 2022–01-01). All databases attached to the platform are included using Boolean operators to mix keywords such as “geopark,” “education,” and “sustainab*” (Lloret Catalá et al. 2015; Delgado Vázquez et al. 2019; Moreno Guerrero et al. 2019). To carry out the complete study, the number of records, types of documents, main authors, countries of publication, WoS categories, and journals indexed in the database have been compiled and carefully separated into sheets for the preparation of different graphs, maps, and conceptual schemes. This separation has been made possible by a careful review of the data.

Results

The result analysis has confirmed a positive evolution in the development and exposure of educational methods in UGGps in the last decade. This also shows very interesting facts to understand the current situation of education in these territories within the set of publications compiled in this period (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1.

List of documents published on the Web of Science between 2012 and 2022 and related to UGGps, education, UNESCO, and sustainability

As we can see, the educational-related documents’ trend in UGGps is positive and tends to increase. Obviously, there is a direct connection between the documents that associate the keywords “Geopark” and “UNESCO,” but they are not publications directly aimed at educational impact or at carried-out educational plans and activities within these territories. Finally, the trend of publications related to sustainability remains stable, although a general increase is beginning to be seen in the last 3 years.

It was also observed that, comparing the enormous number of documents related with UGGps, only a small percentage represents education as a key issue. That is an interesting question to consider, as it reflects the need for research in this field. UGGps are pioneering territories in alternative methods of education and fundamental tools for education in geosciences and sustainable development and yet, documentary speaking, education is poorly represented with respect to other fields of publication (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2.

Categories of the Web of Science where the publications on UGGps and education in the last 10 years are grouped

The fields of study and the publication categories show the reality of the documents indexed in the WoS database. Categories such as “Geology,” “Physical Sciences Other Topics,” “Social Sciences Other Topics,” and “Environmental Sciences Ecology,” present the highest peaks in the number of publications on UGGps and education. In effect, UGGps are nourished by geosciences for the development in their activities, and these categories represent the basis of all these territories, but there are categories such as “Communication” or “Education educational research” that are unsuccessfully reflected in the whole set if we take the other groups as a reference.

Looking at the demographic distribution obtained from the WoS metrics, it is possible to observe patterns that are gaining strength within the framework of the UGGps (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3.

Demographic distribution of publications related to Geoparks and education in the last 10 years

As it is possibly observed in Fig. 3, the geographical results of the study are clearly marked. On the one hand, countries like China, South Korea, and Japan lead the publication statistics. Followed by them, we can find Malaysia, Portugal, Spain, Indonesia, Russia, and Italy. Countries such as Brazil and Poland begin to stand out in the list of publications, increasing their number of works in recent years.

In this context, it is important that, even though the numbers are increasing and that, every year, we have new UGGps distributed throughout the world, the publications on UGGps and education are still the same percentage every year. It is possible to visual this reality in Fig. 4 that shows the different types of documents published to date.

Fig. 4.

Comparative graphic representation of the types of documents published related to UGGps and education in the last 10 years

Relating the total number of documents published on UGGps in the last 10 years with those directly carried out from the educational framework, it is possible to see a great difference in terms of numbers, but we can also specify this variation to the types of documents published according to its relevance.

In general, the documentary peaks are focused around articles, meetings, and review articles. Comparing the articles as the highest peak, we see that of 655 total articles, 104 have been directed from the educational topics, which corresponds to 15.88%. In the case of meetings, 135 have been documented, of which 13 are linked to education, which represents 9.62% of the total. Finally, out of 26 review articles, we only have one record in the database related to education, which is equivalent to 3.85% of the total (Fig. 5). It is important to note that, if we review the conference abstract books, we can find several hundreds of them that have not been indexed by the database and, therefore, could not be represented in the study.

Fig. 5.

Circular graphs that represent the proportion of articles, meetings, and review articles in the concept of UGGps and education

In the case of the journals that have been handling this type of publication, we have “Geoheritage” as the main means of scientific dissemination for projects that intertwine UGGps and education, with 36% of the total publications. In the second and third place, we find the “Journal of the Geological Society of Korea” with 16% of the total and the “Journal of Geography (Chigaku Zassy)” with 8%. This result shows that most of the scientific journals present a similar proportion in an interval between 3 and 5% (Fig. 6).

Fig. 6.

Visual proportion of the different scientific journals that have published material related to UGGps and education between 2012 and 2022

Analyzing authors and networks around them, it is possible to obtain relevant conclusions about the publication capacity and the number of indexed documents based on the last 10 years. In the case of focusing only on the term “Geopark,” a total amount of 2236 authors have contributed to the field between the years 2012 and 2022 (Fig. 7). In contrast, reducing the search and filtering the results with education, only 367 authors have published works directed from an educational point of view (Fig. 8). This figure is equivalent to 16.4%. Further narrowing the search filter and structuring the analysis to show authors who have published two or more papers on this topic, we find 35 authors (Fig. 9). This last figure corresponds to 1.6% of the total number of documents indexed in the database.

Fig. 7.

VOSviewer map showing all the authors, the relationships between them, and the links that unite them in the “geopark” field in the last 10 years

Fig. 8.

VOSviewer map showing all the authors, the relationships between them, and the links that unite them in the “geopark” and “education” field in the last 10 years

Fig. 9.

VOSviewer map showing the authors with at least two publications, the relationships between them, and the links that unite them in the “geopark” and “education” field in the last 10 years

As can be seen in the maps, the existing relationships between the clusters mark an individuality that is not very relatable to groups outside the associated sets. Even if there is a group tendency when it comes to publishing, the background that can be found below corresponds to a group that is not very connected and that presents a low volume of publication. This contrasts with certain groups that stand out both in the number of publications and in internal and external relationships.

Discussion

In view of the results, it is possible to get a general idea of how the UGGps-education relationship is nowadays. It is clear that the data has progressed and has shown an upward trend in recent years. It is also important to highlight the work of all the professionals who labor every day in these territories and who investigate the subject to update the model and gradually implement changes to achieve a full and effective educational experience at all levels (Fig. 10). In the last 10 years, the number of UGGps has increased from 77 in 20 countries to 177 in 46 countries (February 2023). This expansion has affected the number of publications in the same way, with 34 publications in 2012 and reaching 128 in 2021. It is important to highlight that WoS is a database recognized as one of the best within the scientific community. Thanks to it, we can get a general idea of the high-impact publications that are emerging within the scientific panorama. Obviously, there are many works that have not been indexed and from which we have not been able to obtain visual results, but by showing documents published in the most important scientific journals, it helps to dive into the most visible part of the current situation, which in the end is the most relevant part of it. However, the educational factor continues to be underrepresented in the results and is buried under the large number of publications on other topics and issues that concern UGGps. It is evident that most of the publications must be linked to the existing geology and natural heritage of these territories. However, it is also clear that education is a fundamental issue in the UGGps model and inside the idea directly related to the Sustainable Development Goals of the Agenda 2030 (Silva 2021). Likewise, the communication section, closely linked to education and teaching methods, is practically invisible in the results. It is important to promote the activities, plans, and educational schemes in which UGGps work, and even making use of communication sciences to give them visibility within the scientific community to emphasize its importance as powerful educational territories for Earth Sciences and environmental protection teaching (Crisp et al. 2021). Taking into account the whole picture, institutional cooperation is another important point that we must support when carrying out educational initiatives. Considering the cluster maps, we can notice a clear grouping of several authors who have the largest number of publications but concentrated in specific studies without creating valid links to be represented. Regarding the geographical distribution of the indexed publications, it is interesting to observe that the subject of analysis is poorly represented in countries with a high level of international scientific activity such as the USA, UK, Canada, Germany, and France. This is probably due to the existence of different protection figures with a greater tradition inside those territories that represent the importance of the natural and geological heritage and develop educational strategies based on its relevance, such as “National Parks.” This terminological change means that most of the scientific studies related to education in geosciences have a different denomination than UGGps and, therefore, are left out of the study. However, it is important to highlight the importance of these works and their significance within the framework of education, natural heritage protection awareness, and sustainability. An issue as important as education in geosciences gives rise scientific networking, not only focusing on a single UGGps as a study model but opening the nexus and grouping different territories to highlight the importance of these territories in the educational field. The development of these factors is a key element for the UGGps to continue working, innovating, and modeling a system that presents positive results for students, curious people, and professionals who decide to visit any of these wonderful territories (Fig. 7). In this context, it is important to remember that the Covid-19 pandemic has been an inflection point for the development of educational activities, but this could be a great opportunity for UGGps. The possibility of being considered safe environments, in which to carry out this type of visits or plans and, in addition, promote key values in the academic curriculum such as creativity, teamwork, or environmental awareness, makes them true educational engines, functional, and enjoyable at all levels (Martini et al. 2021). That is the reason why the work must continue and must take a direction that favors the growth of the visibility of the existing educational potential in UGGps.

Fig. 10.

The third longest suspension bridge of the world in the Arouca UGGp. Winner of several World Travel Awards, it has a high potential for territorial education and provides a different experience to be enjoyed in a geological environment with an exceptional natural and cultural heritage

Conclusions

The results obtained speak for themselves. UGGps are authentic sustainable educational territories that progressively increase their international relevance every year. The trend that graphics show is positive in numerical terms, and translates into greater visibility, projects, and ideas to be implemented in the future. However, to date, the number of publications related to education remains low compared to the general set, with few authors dedicated to it and a reduced impact within the scientific community. In this sense, it is important to highlight the promotional activities of this type of programs to allow the trend to continue its path and, little by little, UGGps achieve the relevance in this topic that they deserve in view of today’s society. Likewise, they are a very interesting opportunity to continue educating about the environment, heritage protection, geosciences, climate change, disaster risk reduction, and resilience, among others, for which they deserve attention from international institutions, centers, and organizations to carry out future didactic actions aimed at creating an adapted, accessible, and a sustainable future for all of us.

Funding

EMR-G and AAS were funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. in the frame of the UIDP/00073/2020 project of the I&D unit Geosciences Center (CGeo, University of Coimbra). This study has been financially supported by the UCJC-Santander scholarship of excellence for the promotion of research.

Declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no competing interests.