AN IMPRESSIVE 100 delegates from all corners of the globe are being shown why Purbeck and the Jurassic Coast are as important as the Taj Mahal, Grand Canyon and the Great Barrier Reef.

Wareham is playing host to representatives from as far afield as Australia, China, Argentina, Namibia and Iceland attending an international heritage conference.

It is the first time since the coast was designated a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2001 that the area has staged such a high profile gathering of delegates.

It is hoped an exchange of ideas and information between the delegates, many from countries with their own unique world heritage sites to protect and promote, will benefit Dorset and its Jurassic treasures.

The Earth Heritage: World Heritage three-day conference is based at the Springfield Hotel on the outskirts of Wareham and runs until September 10.

Delegates are due to take part in a number of excursions around Purbeck and other parts of the Jurassic Coast, which stretches into neighbouring Devon.

"The delegates won't just be taken to a centre and shown around - we will be walking along the coast, even going out on boats if the weather allows, and looking in detail at work being done in everything from conservation and planning to visitor management, quarrying and oil extraction," said Richard Edmonds, Earth Science manager for the Dorset and East Devon Coast World Heritage Site.

"An important element of the conference is to look at the development of sustainable geotourism: we want more people to be aware of the geology of the areas they visit, and to enjoy learning how to 'read' rocks - but to do so without damaging the environment.

"These field trips are aimed at showing the delegates from all over the world the diversity of the Jurassic Coast - it is a shop window for the earth sciences."

Mr Edmonds added: "We feel we have joined an international club, but with geology and earth sciences there is a danger of a lack of understanding about what's important about them.

"We hope in the long term that we can be a good showcase of how to develop tourism without destroying the very things that are of interest."

Students of Purbeck School in Wareham were also this week working alongside artist Dominique Bivar Segurado to create artwork inspired by Jurassic Coast as part of the conference.

First published: Sept 6