Lake Toya, 2 other sites in Japan added to global geoparks list+

TOKYO, Aug. 23 Kyodo -
Three Japanese sites, including Lake Toya in Hokkaido, have been added to the
list of the UNESCO-sponsored global geoparks, or nature parks with particular
importance in terms of geological features, the Japanese Geoparks Network said
Sunday.
The other sites are Itoi River in Niigata Prefecture and Shimabara Peninsula in
Nagasaki Prefecture.
Geoparks are nationally protected parks considered to be Earth heritage sites
that need to be conserved. The Paris-based Global Geoparks Network, established
in 2004 under the sponsorship of the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization, designates the sites.
The three sites were recognized at the GGN's recent meeting held in China, the
Japanese branch of the network said. It is the first time any Japanese site has
been designated.
Along with the Japanese sites, the GGN also recognized two parks in China,
bringing the global list of geoparks to 63 in 19 countries.
Lake Toya's designation as a geopark includes adjacent Mt. Usu, which has
erupted four times in the past 100 years. A Group of Eight summit was held in
the Lake Toya resort area in the summer of 2008.
==Kyodo