Newry, Mourne and Down District Council has revealed it is pressing ahead with plans to establish a Global Geopark in the three Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) across the district.
Council chiefs want to set up the internationally recognised sites at Mourne, Ring of Gullion, Strangford and Lecale.
They say that if successful the “UNESCO Global Geopark brand will use the shared geological heritage of the three areas as a mechanism for sustainable tourism”.
UNESCO Global Geopark status is awarded to areas with internationally important geological heritage.
There are currently 127 UNESCO Global Geopark in 35 countries across the world.
