UNESCO evaluators visited the La Hague Geopark

From Monday, June 29th until Friday morning, two evaluators commissioned by the UNESCO Global Geoparks Office toured the La Hague Geopark to examine its application for UNESCO Global Geopark status. The final decision will be announced in spring 2027.

As part of its application for the "UNESCO Global Geopark" label, the municipality of La Hague received two evaluators this week, Antonio Duarte, from the Arouca Geopark, located in the northern part of Portugal southeast of Porto, and Guillem Puras Castells, coordinator of the Orígens Geopark, located in northeastern Spain, on the southern slope of the Catalan Pyrenees, 200 km from Barcelona.

A week to discover the riches and assets of the Geopark

During this week of evaluation, the experts' missions were to verify that the La Hague Geopark meets the criteria of UNESCO Global Geoparks (more than 100 evaluation criteria relating to policies of protection, education, research and sustainable development), to examine the implementation of the actions highlighted in the application file in these areas, to assess the impact of the Geopark on the territory and to issue recommendations for the future.

They were thus able to visit and discover several geosites, equipment and meet with project partners to evaluate all the actions undertaken within the framework of this certification:

• Presentation and visit of the Hague-Dike and Ecalgrain Bay to immerse yourself in the history of the territory;
• Discovery of two of the four interpretation trails "Vent d'Amont" in Gréville-Hague and "Vent forain" in Herquemoulin allowing for discussion on the challenges of heritage enhancement but also preservation in the presence of the coastal wardens of SyMEL and the State;
• Guided tour of the Tourp, Maison de La Hague, and presentation by the team of the programs and activities developed for schools or the general public, of the heritage collection, and of the current exhibitions;
• Guided tour of the birthplace of Jean-François Millet, in the presence of the Department's teams;
• Visit to the Mare de Vauville National Nature Reserve, in the company of Marie-Léa Travert, curator;
• Meeting of geopartners, including Benjamin Fourtanier from the Goubelins farm in Gréville-Hague and François Badier, producer of the cider "le Clos Moulin";
• Discovering different aspects of the intangible heritage of La Hague, including local products (local lamb, etc.);
• Exchanges with some members of the Geopark's scientific council on the actions undertaken to support a research dynamic in the territory;
• Discussions with industry representatives (Orano and Andra) on the role of nuclear activities within the framework of the certification project;
• Exchange with the director of the Cotentin Tourist Office on the complementarity of approaches at the scale of the Cotentin Unique by Nature destination.

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The UNESCO Global Geoparks Council will examine this evaluation report at its next conference in October 2026. Other applications will also be considered during this meeting, such as the Transmanche Geopark, a joint application from France and England, covering the area between Pas-de-Calais and Kent. The results of this evaluation will be announced in spring 2027.