Preserving Geodiversity

Straddling two counties, one in Northern Ireland and one in the Irish Republic, Marble Arch Caves is the world's only transinternational and UNESCO-endorsed geopark.

The park - in County Fermanagh and County Cavan - sits in a region of the world with its own political challenges. For this reason, the area hasn't traditionally attracted big industry and until now there were few job opportunities.

Luckily the area has a rich geological heritage. Layer upon layer of limestone, siltstone and sandstone rocks tell the story of a delta that would have existed in this part of Ireland in the Carboniferous - 330 million years ago.

A region has to have both factors to be called a geopark: a particular geological heritage as well as a sustainable territorial development strategy, helping to promote local tourism and local employment opportunities.

Patrick McKeever from the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland and Kirstin Lemon, the geologist at Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark, takes science writer and broadcaster Richard Hollingham on a tour of the park.

Richard discovers that the first geoparks were created in Europe just nine years ago. Today there are 34 around the continent, with another 24 scattered around the world.