Can We Save The Planet Without Saving The Planet? Geodiversity challenges for a sustainable future

The world is facing many challenges, most of them associated with nature. And yet, much of the focus of nature within these challenges has been on biodiversity. In contrast, geodiversity remains underutilised by policymakers and still relatively unknown to the general public. Moreover, it is being exposed to various risk and threats, e.g., urban development, changes of land-use, irresponsible and intensive quarrying or mining, overexploitation of geodiversity sites by visitors, social pressure regarding the use of geodiversity, climatic changes or emphasizing the protection and management of living nature at the expense of geodiversity. Recognising the importance of geodiversity in many of the questions facing society, we identify four Geodiversity Challenges that require attention:

• Recognition: Geodiversity needs to become a publicly recognised concept, on a par with biodiversity. If successful, the public would increasingly identify geodiversity and its components as important parts of nature.
• Understanding: Geodiversity should be represented in school curricula, and recognized and effectively interpreted at heritage sites, protected areas and tourist trails. This will also increase the number of young people attracted to choose geoscience for their career and higher education as well as effectively contribute to the awareness of geodiversity among the general public.
• Conservation: Similarly to biodiversity sites, sites containing significant geodiversity features need protection and management. Besides this, every geoconservation effort should be accompanied by consideration of possible risks and threats and effective proposals for the future management. This requires the inclusion of geodiversity in policy decision making, e.g., via monitoring Essential Geodiversity Variables or developing the concept of geosystem services and disservices. If effective, this may contribute to a more effective engagement and action of policymakers, and to the respect, acceptation and support of geoconservation by general public.
• Utilisation: Geological resources are essential to our way of life, especially as technology becomes more dominant as society works towards a green economy. These resources need to be utilised in a sustainable way. Essential minerals for the green economy should be extracted and processed in a sustainable and ethical manner in accordance with SDGs.

Science has increasingly become an interdisciplinary enterprise, especially as we seek to confront more difficult challenges. We should also recognise that the aspects of our planet are interconnected, and that solutions to the threats nature faces will not be as strong as we wish if geodiversity is forgotten by scientists and policymakers, and not acknowledged by the general public. The time has come for geodiversity to take its place alongside biodiversity as a recognised and useful part of nature.

References:

Matthews, J., Kubalíková, L., Štrba, L., & Tukiainen, H. (2024). Geodiversity challenges for a sustainable future. Nature Geosciences, 17, 948. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-024-01551-w

Justice, S., Crofts, R., Gordon. J.E., & Gray, M. (2025). The meaning of Nature: Clarification for strengthened protection and management. IUCN WCPA Issues Paper Series No. 5, Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. Available at: https://iucn.org/sites/default/files/2025-01/meaning-of-nature_pdf-final.pdf

 

This work was supported by the Czech Academy of Sciences under the project Strategy AV 21 - Dynamic Planet Earth and by the Slovak Research and Development Agency under the project no. APVV-24-0554.