• Burmese
Monday, May 12, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
29 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

Myanmar’s Extinct Volcano Mt Popa to be Nominated for Unesco Status

DE HLAING WIN by DE HLAING WIN
January 28, 2020
in Burma
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0 0
A A
Mt. Popa / Aung Kyaw Htet / The Irrawaddy

Mt. Popa / Aung Kyaw Htet / The Irrawaddy

5.3k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Mandalay — The Myanmar Geosciences Society (MGS) is working to nominate Mt. Popa as a Unesco Global Park in the next two years as the extinct central Myanmar volcano is set to be designated as a national-level geopark in June.

Mt. Popa, 1,518 meters above sea level, is the highest peak in Kyaukpadaung Township, Mandalay Region. The west of the mountain hosts forests and fossils, said MGS secretary U Than Tun.

The designation of Mt. Popa as the first national-level geopark in Myanmar has been a few years in the making with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, Mines Department, Forest Department and MGS involved in the process.

RelatedPosts

From Smog to Arsenic: Myanmar’s Toxic Trail Reaches Thailand

From Smog to Arsenic: Myanmar’s Toxic Trail Reaches Thailand

April 25, 2025
1.6k
Shattered Lives, Lost Treasures: Traveling in Myanmar’s Quake Zone

Shattered Lives, Lost Treasures: Traveling in Myanmar’s Quake Zone

April 11, 2025
2.4k
Six Political Prisoners Died in Quake: Rights Group

Six Political Prisoners Died in Quake: Rights Group

April 5, 2025
443

“Based on our research, we concluded that we have attractions to show that meet international norms. We have taken action with the approval of the Mandalay Region government and Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation,” said U Than Tun.

Several universities have carried out research and data collection since December 2016.

“Our target is to get the recognition of [the United Nations’ cultural body] Unesco. We will try to submit a nomination two years after we have set up the national-level geopark,” said U Than Tun.

A geopark is a site of geological heritage that is protected and used sustainably while promoting the economic well-being of residents.

Designation as a geopark will contribute to the conservation of fossils, water sources and geological features around Mt. Popa, he said.

“For an area to become a global geopark, the most important thing is it must have international geological significance. It must be a unified geographical area. There must be a separate governing body and cultural, traditional and archaeological value,” said U Than Tun.

The society has prepared up to 20 sites for public display at the geopark showing fossils, herbs, deer and a dam. One of the highlights will be a 15-meter-long piece of petrified wood found 3 meters below the village of Thanbo.

Another must-see will be elephant fossils that are believed to be around 15 million years old, according to U Than Tun. “The entire west of Mt. Popa is thickly covered with forests and filled with fossils. We will excavate carefully,” he said.

“We welcome the plan for designation of Mt. Popa as a global geopark. We are cooperating for that to happen,” said secretary Ko Aung Hein of Mt. Popa Lovers environmental group.

“We hope that this will allow the people to learn the geological features which will be well-preserved as a global geopark. And we hope this will also create an income for residents,” he added.

Myanmar has over 20 potential sites to become Unesco global geoparks, according to MSG. It will prioritize 10 sites, including Mt. Hkakabo Razi, Putao and Indawgyi Lake in Kachin State, and Pindaya Cave and Inle Lake in Shan State, after nominating Mt. Popa for Unesco recognition.

There are over 170 Unesco geoparks around the world, including more than 40 in China.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko 

You may also like these stories:

Ancient Rakhine City of Mrauk-U Proposed for UNESCO World Heritage Site

Your Thoughts …
Tags: EnvironmentgeoparkHeritageKyaukpadaung TownshipMandalay RegionMt. PopaMyanmar Geosciences SocietyTourismU Than TunUnesco Global ParkVolcano
DE HLAING WIN

DE HLAING WIN

Similar Picks:

‘Myanmar Military in Chaos,’ Swift Capture of Strategic Outpost Shows
Burma

‘Myanmar Military in Chaos,’ Swift Capture of Strategic Outpost Shows

by Yuzana
January 5, 2024
28.4k

Many of the more than 200 junta troops captured on Wednesday at Shan State outpost after brief battle were medics,...

Read moreDetails
Five-Star Casino Resort on Myanmar Tropical Island Runs Out of Luck
Burma

Five-Star Casino Resort on Myanmar Tropical Island Runs Out of Luck

by The Irrawaddy
February 6, 2024
19.1k

U Kyaw Lwin ran his casino resort on the visa-free island for more than 10 years before facing arrest in...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Military Suffers Swift Losses as Operation 1027 Expands to Mandalay
War Against the Junta

Myanmar Military Suffers Swift Losses as Operation 1027 Expands to Mandalay

by The Irrawaddy
June 27, 2024
18.2k

Ethnic army and PDF allies capture two dozen junta bases in three days of fighting in townships along the road...

Read moreDetails
In Western Myanmar, an Ethnic Landlord is Poised to Liberate ‘Crony Beach’
Burma

In Western Myanmar, an Ethnic Landlord is Poised to Liberate ‘Crony Beach’

by The Irrawaddy
June 25, 2024
15.6k

After capturing Thandwe Airport, the Arakan Army is just steps away from Myanmar’s most valuable beach and the crony-owned resorts...

Read moreDetails
Touting Holidays in a Flooded Warzone; Praising Savior China; and More
Junta Watch

Touting Holidays in a Flooded Warzone; Praising Savior China; and More

by The Irrawaddy
October 5, 2024
13.3k

Also this week, the regime launched its pre-election census, and unveiled a flood relief budget dwarfed by military spending as...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Resistance Set to Expand Fighting in Mandalay After Seizing Strategic Junta Outpost
Burma

Myanmar Resistance Set to Expand Fighting in Mandalay After Seizing Strategic Junta Outpost

by Hein Htoo Zan
January 4, 2024
12.6k

Mandalay People’s Defense Force (PDF) and Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) seize junta outpost after a fierce overnight battle in...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Yangon’s General Post Office at the corner of Bo Aung Kyaw Street and the Strand Road.

112 Years On, Yangon’s General Post Office Still Links Myanmar With Wider World

A photo of Lway Mya Hmwe Aung at her funeral on Jan. 25. / Helen Mai / Facebook

TNLA Fighter Shoots Ex-Girlfriend Dead for Refusing to Elope in Myanmar's Shan State

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Fury Over China’s Support for Myanmar Junta Eclipses Quake Aid Gratitude 

Fury Over China’s Support for Myanmar Junta Eclipses Quake Aid Gratitude 

5 days ago
1.2k
Inside the Myanmar Junta’s Post-Earthquake Theater of Control

Inside the Myanmar Junta’s Post-Earthquake Theater of Control

5 days ago
998

Most Read

  • Myanmar Junta Chief Meets China’s Xi for First Time: State Media

    Myanmar Junta Chief Meets China’s Xi for First Time: State Media

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Breaking the 60-Year Political Cycle in Myanmar

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • A Troubling Message from China’s Ambassador to Myanmar

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • KNU Hails Seizure of Myanmar Junta Base on Thai Border

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta ‘Seizes Eight TNLA Positions’

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.