This book highlights the abiotic, biotic, and cultural heritage characteristics of the Bakony–Balaton UNESCO Global Geopark, located in western Hungary at the junction of four major geographic regions. Covering 3,244 km² near Lake Balaton, the largest lake in Central Europe, the Geopark has been a member of the Global Geoparks Network since 2013 and has held UNESCO Global Geopark status since 2015. The book explores the remarkable diversity of geological, topographic, climatic, and hydrological features, as well as the rich biodiversity that characterize the Bakony–Balaton UNESCO Global Geopark.

Bridging management theory and practice, the book presents specific examples of how the Geopark safeguards its fragile natural and cultural assets while maintaining its UNESCO status. It examines management initiatives in areas such as geoeducation, networking, outreach, and community engagement, highlighting how geotourism activities contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The Bakony–Balaton Geopark is committed to preserving the complex geological structures and stratigraphic settings that make the region unique, including its picturesque volcanic remnant hills, diverse karst phenomena, and Lake Balaton, alongside a rich cultural heritage encompassing Roman and medieval sites. These efforts are increasingly important as growing numbers of visitors are attracted to the region each year.

The editors have therefore placed particular emphasis on reflecting the holistic approach of UNESCO Global Geoparks throughout the book, demonstrating how geological heritage, biodiversity, cultural values, education, sustainable tourism, and community development can be integrated into a unified framework for conservation and sustainable regional development.

Barnabás Korbély is Head of the Bakony–Balaton Geopark Group and Earth Science Officer at the Balaton Uplands National Park Directorate, the management organisation of the Bakony–Balaton UNESCO Global Geopark in Hungary. He has worked for the Directorate since 2003 and has coordinated the development of the Geopark from its inception in 2005. His professional activities encompass geoheritage conservation, geosite management, geotourism, interpretation, community engagement and the development of GIS-based geosite databases.

Since 2006, he has initiated and coordinated guided geotours, adventure cave tours, geological and volcanological nature trails, interpretive sites and other geotourism programmes. He has also organised and taught training courses for geotour guides across twelve regions of the Geopark. His work with local communities includes the establishment of Geopark Partner and Geopark Product programmes and cooperation with schools, NGOs, local businesses and volunteers. He has coordinated major EU-funded projects for the conservation and interpretation of geological heritage, involving 46 geosites within the Geopark.

Barnabás Korbély has been a permanent delegate to the European Geoparks Network Coordination Committee since 2013 and contributed to the establishment of the Hungarian Geoparks Committee in 2016. As a UNESCO evaluation expert, he has participated in evaluation and revalidation missions in Spain, Greece, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and Japan. He also undertakes voluntary work for the European Geoparks Networks, including contributions to European Geoparks Week and the EGN Volcanic Geoparks Working Group. He regularly presents at international geoparks conferences and has contributed to several books on geoparks and volcanic geoheritage. He holds an MSc in Geography and a teaching qualification in Geography from Eötvös University, Budapest; his MSc research examined the volcanic evolution of the Szigliget Hills in the present-day Geopark.

Dr. Gáspár Albert is an Associate Professor at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), holding a PhD in Earth Sciences, alongside diplomas in geology and cartography. He has over 25 years of academic, teaching, and research experience in the fields of earth sciences and geoinformatics. He began his career at the Geological Institute of Hungary (MÁFI/GIH), where he founded and led the working group coordinating 3D geological modeling. Prior to this, he participated in domestic and international field research—including in the Libyan Desert—as a structural geological and mapping expert.

His research focuses on 3D geological modeling, spatial data harmonization, and advanced Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques. A prominent part of his work involves investigating the relationship between historical landscape use and the geological environment, which is closely related to the issue of geological heritage (geoheritage). One of his latest research projects, which is organically connected to the theme of this volume, was the high-resolution GIS reconstruction of the Roman road network of Pannonia. The study area for this project was the Bakony Mountains and the Balaton Uplands, encompassing the region of the Bakony-Balaton UNESCO Global Geopark. In the field of geological heritage protection, he maintains extensive professional relationships with other international institutions, notably the Hațeg Country UNESCO Global Geopark in Romania. Within this geopark, he conducts detailed geological mapping to advance the understanding of Late Cretaceous vertebrate (dinosaur) localities and provides specialized cartographic support by designing geotouristic maps. His commitment to mentoring the next generation of geoheritage professionals is exemplified by his PhD students. His former student, Márton Pál, now actively contributes to numerous international projects in the Balaton Uplands, while his current student, Drisela Kraja, was inspired by his mentorship to advance geodiversity and geological heritage protection in Albania.

His scientific achievements are evidenced by more than 240 publications and hundreds of independent citations (h-index: 10). He takes an active role in domestic and international professional public life: he is a board member of the ProGEO Section in the Hungarian Geological Society, which specifically deals with geological heritage protection. In addition, he is a member of the European Geosciences Union (EGU) and the International Cartographic Association (ICA). Through his work, he continuously supports data-driven, objective decision-making in environmental and heritage protection.

Alongside his scientific and teaching work, he pays special attention to science popularization and the support of geotourism. As a volunteer and a Level 7 Local Guide on Google Maps, he regularly documents, maps, and makes geological key sections (e.g., K-17), exhibition sites, and geosites (e.g., Felsőörs, Balaton Uplands) virtually accessible to the general public, while also enriching Wikipedia by writing and editing geology-related articles.