The event was organised by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior (IAVCEI). The event focused on the promotion, conservation and protection of volcanic heritage.
Around forty researchers and professionals from various countries took part in VolcandPark 2026, including Canada, the United States, the Netherlands, Mexico, Costa Rica, the Philippines, Japan, France, Austria, Romania and Hungary. The event was coordinated by Dr Károly Németh and Dr Mátyás Hencz from the HUN-REN Institute of Earth Physics and Space Science (Hungary).
The programme combined two days of oral presentations with two days of field excursions. As part of the conference, Joan Martí delivered a lecture entitled “Exploring the Hidden Depths: The Significance of Deep-Earth Geoheritage”. His presentation highlighted the importance of processes occurring deep within the Earth for understanding how our planet has evolved and how it functions today.
The field excursions included visits to some of Hungary’s most remarkable volcanic sites, including the Little Hungarian Plain Volcanic Field, the Kemenes Volcano Park visitor centre, Ság Hill and the Bakony–Balaton UNESCO Global Geopark.
VolcandPark is an initiative promoted by the IAVCEI Commission on Volcanic Geoheritage and Protected Volcanic Landscapes. Its aim is to bring together researchers, geopark professionals and science communicatorson a regular basis to exchange knowledge on the conservation and communication of volcanic heritage. Previous editions of VolcandPark were held in Olot (Spain, 2012), Lanzarote (Spain, 2016) and Jičín (Czech Republic, 2024).