International and regional experience in the development of geoparks as a legal framework for changing environmental legislation

The article is dedicated to the study of foreign and the first national experience in the creation and operation of geoparks and their legal regulation. Purpose: to analyze the problems of creating geoparks and the development of the national network of geoparks, their integration into the Global Network of Geoparks under the auspices of UNESCO, to make proposals on the legal regulation of geoparks. Methods: the author uses comparison, description, dialectical logic, interpretation of legal norms, comparative law method. The foreign and national experience of creating geoparks is analyzed. The current state of the Global Network of Geoparks under the auspices of UNESCO is considered. Various definitions of the concept of a geological park, its goals and functions are given. The approximate procedure of actions and conditions for the entry of the territory into the global network of geoparks are considered. A generalized core goal for the creators of geoparks is formulated. The unique geological structure and natural characteristics of the most interesting objects of the first Russian geoparks: «Altai» and «Yangan-Tau» are shown. A comparative analysis of the legal status of some categories of specially protected natural territories and geoparks has been carried out. Results: the study leads to the conclusion that the concept of geoparks should be incorporated into modern environmental legislation as an additional independent category of protected areas. It is noted that the issues of creation and legal regulation of geoparks on the territory of Russia are very timely and correspond to the scientific, environmental and recreational interests of the regions, contribute to the effective development of territories and their socio-economic development.