From Geoparks to Regional Sustainable Development: Geoheritage Protection and Geotourism Promotion of Geoparks in Hebei Province, China

Hebei Province owns 19 geoparks: 11 national ones and 8 provincial ones. Systematic research on the geoparks in Hebei Province is important for realizing sustainable development. In this work, based on field investigation, relevant review studies, and data organization, the geoparks' conditions and geoheritage distribution and types are analyzed and described. To achieve the research goal and find the gap between current national geoparks and UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGps), a SWOT analysis and an ASEB grid analysis are conducted to confirm the possibility of joining in the Global Geoparks Network (GGN) on the basis of questionnaires. Results show that over 346 geoheritage sites are distributed in three geoheritage belts. The possibility of joining in the GGN is analyzed, and the finding indicates that Liujiang National Geopark may likely become a member of UGGps. Proposals for regional sustainable development include geoheritage protection, infrastructure construction, geoeducation promotion, and co-constructing and sharing.