By promoting geotourism, the EGN combines territorial development and the emergence of a special interest market with the sustainable preservation of the geological heritage by creating interest, awareness and a special regard for the uniqueness of our environment. The EGN achieves and maintains the high quality standards, designed to meet the requirements of a global tourism market, through its rigorous evaluation procedure for all new applicants and its 4-yearly revalidation process for continued membership within the network. At the end of the day, however, the strength of the Network will always depend on the cooperation of local communities in the foundation and development of each geopark.