The Guardians of the Geopark program was established as a community strategy within the UNESCO Global Geopark Comarca Minera, aiming to strengthen the Geopark’s presence across each of the nine municipalities that comprise the territory, home to 628,746 people, and to promote care and protection of heritage, while fostering sustainable development.

To establish the Guardians groups, the Geopark issued a call for residents in each municipality. Following an informational meeting, they decided to take an active role in the territory as custodians of the heritage and to prepare themselves through a workshop course on geological, mining, natural, and cultural heritage. Among the guardians are artisans, traditional cooks, nature guides, agricultural producers, carpenters, educators, local officials, small business owners, and processors of regional products such as honey, jams, wines, and cheeses. This diversity allows the program to have a broad foundation of knowledge and action, deeply rooted in the environment and cultural practices of each community.

After their training, the Guardians actively participate in the research, safeguarding, protection, and promotion of the geological, natural, and cultural heritage, with a sustainable and biocultural approach. They attend community meetings, provide training, raise awareness, and promote the values of the Geopark in schools at different educational levels. They also represent and promote the Geopark’s philosophy at local festivals. In Geoeducation, they design creative and educational workshops using simple language for children, focusing on conservation, protection, and care for the environment and the heritage.  Through this program, the territory meets some Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as: Quality Education, Good Health and Well-being, Gender Equality, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Reduced Inequalities, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Responsible Consumption and Production, Climate Action, and Partnerships for the Goals.

To promote multidisciplinary research, the “Geopark Guardians Permanent Virtual Seminar” was established, held every Tuesday at 8:00 p.m., and broadcast live on Facebook via the geopark’s page.

A year and a half after its creation, the program is growing stronger as a network of shared commitment, care, and collective knowledge. The Geopark Guardians are representatives of the local population and embody active community participation. They recognize and activate traditional knowledge and local practices, engaging in dialogue with science to build a sustainable present and future. They help strengthen territorial identity and forge links between the Geopark and its people, generating deep transformations in the sustainable enjoyment of their land, managing from the bottom up and from the local to the global.