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On 2 July 2020, the Toba Caldera or better known as Lake Toba was designated as the UNESCO Global Geopark at the 209th Session of the UNESCO Executive Council in Paris, France. At that time, the Government of Indonesia succeeded in convincing the United Nations Agency for Education, Science and Culture that the Toba Caldera has high geological links and traditional heritage with local communities, especially in terms of culture and biodiversity.

In addition to the Toba Caldera or Lake Toba, there is another earth park in Indonesia which is also proposed as a UNESCO Global Geopark, the Maros-Pangkep Earth Park in South Sulawesi. Through the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture, the Indonesian National Commission for UNESCO on Sunday (2/8) officially submitted a letter of request that the Maros-Pangkep Earth Park in South Sulawesi could become a UNESCO Global Geopark.

The letters and files signed directly by Daily Chairperson of the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture, Prof. Arief Rachman were addressed directly to the Secretary of the UNESCO International Geoscience and Geoparks Program (IGGP) in Paris, France. General Manager of Maros-Pangkep Geopark, Dedy Irfan, Sunday (2/8) said that his side was very grateful for the response from the central government that sent submissions for membership of Maros-Pangkep Geopark in UNESCO's Global Geopark.

Maros-Pangkep Earth Park has been designated as a national geopark since 24 November 2017. The status was granted by the Indonesian National Geopark Committee at the Belitung Geopark National Seminar with the presentation of a certificate. The certificate is also the main requirement for the Maros-Pangkep Geopark to be submitted as a UNESCO Global Geopark. One reason is that because the area of more than 43 thousand hectares is a karst area, which is an expanse of ancient rock ranks called the second most beautiful karst area in the world after China. The karst region also holds a large geological wealth.

Until now, there have been four geo-parks or Earth Park in Indonesia that have been designated as UNESCO Global Park. They are Mount Batur in Bali, Sewu Mountains in Yogyakarta, Ciletuh Palabuhan Ratu in West Java, Mount Rinjani in West Nusa Tenggara and the Toba Caldera or Lake Toba on Samosir Island, North Sumatra.

A lot of benefits are obtained from the entry of Indonesian National Geopark as a UNESCO Global Geopark. One of them is in terms of tourism development; the geopark will be increasingly known to the world. Of course, this will increase the number of tourist visits. The government will certainly pay more attention to the development of tourism in the geopark, which can indirectly provide employment opportunities and increase income for the local community. In terms of environmental preservation, the area designated as UNESCO Global Park can function to preserve natural resources, conservation activities, and educate the public.

Hopefully, the Indonesian National Commission for UNESCO can convince the UN agency to make the Maros-Pangkep Earth Park the next UNESCO Global Geopark Indonesia. The stipulation is expected to encourage economic development and sustainable development in the region. Through sustainable development, of course, there will be opportunities for local communities to promote local culture and products and create broader employment opportunities. However, at the same time, the government and local communities also have an obligation to improve and continue to preserve the environment and intactness in the region.