Multi-designated geoparks face challenges in China’s heritage conservation

The author selects a thorny issue of doubled designations that bother pol- icy-makers, professional planners and managers in the field of conservation for protected areas. The analyzed case study areas cover 5 National Geoparks of China in Sichuan Prov- ince, 18 UNESCO Global Geoparks in China, and 219 World Heritage sites in China and 8 European nations. Through analysis and synthesis, the author concludes that doubled des- ignation, which also leads to unbalanced park distribution, is particularly prevalent in China other than in Europe. Therefore, on-site management agencies and related governments in China should carefully translate the doubled designations into responsibilities and harmoni- ous partnerships between all stakeholders in order to enhance the management effectiveness and avoid paper park phenomenon.