Abstract
This article identifies the Nongkhlieh area of eastern Meghalaya as a potential site for the development of karstic geopark or karstic national park since it is the largest karst system in the state (and also one of the best karst systems of the world) showing prominent surficial and sub-surficial karstic and speleological features. ~ 200 caves are present in this area, most of which are active and also support various lifeforms and contain fossils. It is a good representative karst area with ample scope for various scientific studies, especially geology, which is essentially a field-based subject. Along with academic benefit, the creation of geopark would also help in revenue generation and local development through tourism. Protection of this area of geological wonder against the perils of mining and ignorant human activities needs immediate attention.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, for providing the necessary funding for this fieldwork. We would like to thank our caving guides Mr Kyrmen Rani and Mr Ronnie Diengdoh from Meghalaya Adventurers Association and Mr Raplang Shangpliang and his family of Shnongrim village.
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The corresponding author, DS, confirms that all the authors of this article have significant individual contribution. The contents and authorship of this article are agreed upon by all the authors mentioned. SD has conceptualized the article, provided intellectual input, and guided in developing the manuscript. DS has prepared the first draft of the article. BDKD has corrected and added many factual inputs and helped in correcting grammatical errors in the manuscript. SP has helped in the development of figures and correction of the manuscript based on reviewers’ comments.
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Sengupta, D., Dutt, S., Daly, B.D.K. et al. Development of Geopark for Protecting Karst Region of Nongkhlieh Area, Meghalaya. Geoheritage 16, 6 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-023-00906-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-023-00906-w