The table landscape in Västergötland gained recognition as Sweden’s first Unesco Global Geopark in April 2022. This achievement is the result of long-standing efforts where residents of the area have aimed to preserve and highlight the unique natural and cultural environments surrounding the mountains. Perhaps this initiative began as early as the 1970s with protests against new plans for uranium extraction near Ranstadverken outside Skövde. Local engagement peaked with “Västgöta Mountains Day,” celebrated for a week in 1976 with lectures, hikes, and protests. As a conclusion, a stone was erected at Häggums Church inscribed with the words, “Devastation threatened Billingen, Borgundaberget, Gerumsberget, Tovaberget, Gisseberget, Myggberget, Mösseberg, Plantaberget, Varvsberget, and Ålleberg. West Gothlanders willing to protect their region gathered on May 1, 1976, in Häggum. The stone serves as a reminder that the wrath of West Gothlanders affects those who harm their mountains.”
Our history
In the early 2000s, a few enthusiasts and associations in Skaraborg joined forces under the name “Geoarena Skaraborg,” a geological network seeking to enhance interest in the region’s geology. Key contributors included the Ålleberg Group, SGS Skaraborg Geological Society, Qvarnstensgruvan in Lugnås, and Råbäcks Mechanical Quarrying in Råbäck. Some of the driving forces were Ingemar Beiron from Lugnåsberget and Torbjörn Persson in Falköping. By 2012, Qvarnstensgruvan in Lugnås had received the distinction of “Sweden’s Geological Heritage” from SGU, the Geological Survey of Sweden.
Simultaneously, a global geopark network emerged worldwide. The concept behind geoparks was to preserve geological heritage and contribute to sustainable development by creating a network of areas with internationally valuable geology. The understanding of the need to protect significant geological sites from various forms of exploitation had developed in the 1990s. In 2000, four European areas with valuable geology met to discuss how to best use geology for regional development, primarily through geotourism. The result was the first geoparks and the establishment of the European Geoparks Network (EGN). By 2004, the network had grown to include 17 European areas, along with eight Chinese geoparks, forming the Global Geoparks Network (GGN). Both EGN and GGN had strong ties to Unesco, operating under Unesco’s patronage, with the secretariat located as part of Unesco’s headquarters in Paris. In 2015, Unesco’s member states voted to establish a new “site designation,” Unesco Global Geoparks, making geoparks part of Unesco’s organization and a new program, IGGP (International Geoparks and Geoscience Programme). Geoparks became a new designation for areas worldwide, alongside World Heritage Sites and Biosphere Reserves.
In Västergötland, a pre-study was conducted under the leadership of the Biosphere Office in Mariestad from 2014 to 2015. The conclusion of the pre-study was that nine municipalities wished to collaborate further in establishing a geopark in the area. However, no designated project owner was found to carry it forward, and after 2015, the work took a pause for a while. In 2016, Grästorp Municipality announced that they could be the project owner, and some funding was secured through municipalities and municipal associations. A project manager was hired, and the work on the geopark truly began in August 2017. In the coming years, there were several challenges: the table mountain landscape is a vast area that needed delineation, and finding both stable funding and a long-term organizational structure proved difficult. However, there were many positives, with strong support from people in the area, community life, public partners, and geologists from almost all major universities in Sweden. And, of course, the table mountain landscape itself was the foundation for success: an extraordinary area with unique natural and cultural environments.
In November 2019, the application for status as Sweden’s first Unesco Global Geopark was submitted. The evaluation was initially scheduled for the following year, but the pandemic intervened, leading to the cancellation of all assessments. The geopark’s activities continued as usual during the waiting period, meeting Unesco’s requirement that applying geoparks should already be fully operational before submitting the application. When the application was submitted, the geopark transitioned from being a project to becoming a long-term operation. The organizational structure was established with Grästorp Municipality remaining as the operating organization, where all municipalities shared responsibility through a political ownership council and a steering group consisting of officials. Three employees work in the geopark.
Finally, in the fall of 2021, the evaluation was conducted, and in December of the same year, the positive news arrived that the board of the Global Geoparks Network recommended Platåbergens Geopark for approval as a member of the network. In April 2022, Unesco’s board formally made the decision: Sweden has its first Unesco Geopark, and the global geopark network has a new member country! The table mountain landscape now holds the status of a Unesco Global Geopark.
Placing and borders of the geopark
Organisation
The aspiring Platåbergens Geopark is a cooperation between nine municipalities: Trollhättan, Vänersborg, Grästorp, Lidköping, Götene, Skara, Mariestad, Skövde and Falköping. The geopark office is in Grästorp.
The basic funding for Platåbergens Geopark comes from the nine municipalities, which together provide approximately € 45,000 (SEK 450,000) per year. In addition to that, we have basic fundings from Skaraborg’s and Fyrbodal’s associations of local authorities. We also have procet fundings from the European Regional Development Fund, LONA funds from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, and funds from various savings bank foundations.
Staff
Anna Bergengren
Geopark manager and geoscientist
anna.bergengren@grastorp.se
phone: +4673–910 89 51
Henrik Theodorsson
Communications Officer
henrik.theodorsson@grastorp.se
phone: +46 70–148 29 07
