A fourth geopark might emerge in Slovakia

Slovakia might have a new geopark, with the Cabinet Okaying a report on the prospects of including the Zemplin area among Slovak geoparks at its regular session on Wednesday. According to an Environment Ministry report, the geopark's establishment would significantly help the socio-economic situation in the Trebišov district (Košice region), as well as the popularisation of geology and the protection of the region's natural and cultural heritage. "A geological-educational map, including a tourist guide, has been developed for the area, and there is a lively business environment which has been working intensively on the development of tourism and project management," reads the report. The geopark would cover an area of 332 square kilometres in the south-west part of the Trebišov district, and it should later be extended or reduced. There are 80 representative localities in the geopark's proposed area. An information campaign concerning the prospects of building the geopark should be carried out for the public concerned by the end of the year. At the moment there are three geoparks in Slovakia in Banská Bystrica, Banská Štiavnica and Novohrad.