Anggi Tias Pratama, Rio Christy Handziko, Suhartini, Binari Manurung, Agung Setia Batubara, Yudiana Dewi Prihandini, Sri Wartini, Bayu Rahmat Setiadi, Nurul Bahiyah Abd Wahid
Geoparks were represented as areas of geological heritage that required effective conservation strategies centralized on community engagement and sustainable education. However, a systematic understanding of how eco-literacy had been applied to foster conservation knowledge and participation in these sites remained fragmented. The need for a comprehensive synthesis of the research landscape concerning eco-literacy adoption in geopark conservation was addressed by this study. The trends, geographic distribution, methodological characteristics, and thematic applications of eco-literacy studies in the context of global geopark conservation and development were aimed to be mapped by this Systematic Literature Review (SLR). The PRISMA 2020 guidelines were strictly followed by the review. A systematic search was conducted in the Scopus database, covering all years up to 5 May 2025. The search string was focused on ‘Geopark’, ‘Eco-literacy’/‘Ecological literacy’, and ‘Conservation’/‘Education’. Inclusion criteria were based on the PICO framework (e.g., studies explicitly linking eco-literacy to geopark conservation or education). A total of 100 records were screened for eligibility, resulting in 35 articles being included for synthesis. A significant quantitative growth was revealed by the synthesis of 35 included studies, with a 74.28% increase in publications being noted between 2020 and 2025 compared to previous periods. Geographically, research was heavily dominated by contributions from Southeast Asian countries (Indonesia and Malaysia). Four main clusters of eco-literacy application were identified by the thematic analysis: Technology, Ecotourism, Applied Geo-education, and Scientific/Cultural Heritage integration. The majority of the studies were employed with qualitative (case study) or mixed-methods designs. Eco-literacy was established as a critical, multi-faceted approach to enhancing conservation awareness and community participation in geoparks. The exponential growth in research was warranted for the development of standardized, place-based instructional design models for eco-literacy. Future research was suggested to focus on quantifying the long-term impact of these interventions on successful geopark management and sustainability. ©2026 The authors.
Department of Biology Education, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, 55281, Indonesia; Department of Biology, Universitas Negeri Medan, Medan, 20221, Indonesia; Department of Doctoral Program in Law, Universitas Islam Indonesia, Sleman, 55584, Indonesia; Department of Law, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, 55281, Indonesia; Department of Mechanical Engineering Education, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, 55281, Indonesia; Center for Eco-material Engineering and Manufacturing, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, 55281, Indonesia; Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Mathematics, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Tanjong Malim, 35900, Malaysia
