Arouca UNESCO Global Geopark

Arouca Geopark covers the municipality of Arouca, in the north of Portugal, and holds UNESCO Global Geopark status. The Associação Geoparque Arouca (AGA), based on Rua Alfredo Vaz Pinto in Arouca, manages the territory's geological sites, trails and visitor programmes. The geopark protects rock formations that record hundreds of millions of years of geological history, alongside fossil sites tied to the region's identity. Trails such as the Passadiços do Paiva run through the area, connecting visitors to river landscapes and rock formations without heavy infrastructure. AGA runs educational and interpretive activities aimed at schools, researchers and tourists, framing the region's geology, ecosystems and rural communities as parts of one story. The association works with local municipalities and businesses to keep tourism tied to conservation rather than separate from it. The available information does not detail AGA's staffing, funding or annual visitor numbers. What is documented is a formal UNESCO designation and a working geopark management structure based in Arouca.