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Geodiversity, valuing and conserving abiotic nature - 2013 edition
The book is divided into 15 chapters:
1. Defining Geodiversity; how the term geodiversity has grown
since its first introduction in Tasmania and Australia in the
1990s by Kiernan, Sharples and Dixon.
2. Global Scale Geodiversity; explaining how the Earth’s geodiversity
evolved.
3. Local Scale Geodiversity; describing the variety of minerals,
rocks, fossils, soils, landforms and physical processes.
4. Valuing Geodiversity: relating the different perspectives
from which to value our geoheritage, the historical, the
aesthetical, the economic, the tourism, the geosystem and
ecosystem functions.
5. Threats to Geodiversity: an overview of the many threats.
6. International Geoconservation: an introduction to the
organizations and geoconservation programmes operating
at a global scale.
7. World Heritage Sites: explaining the principles behind the
UNESCO scheme and the geological/geomorphologicalsites
included in the network.
8. Global Geoparks; explaining the principles behind this
growing network of geo-areas that use community support
to promote geoconservation, education and economic
development through geotourism.
9. National Geoconservation; reviewing the geoconservation
programmes of many countries, including USA, Canada and
throughout Europe.
10. The Wider Landscape; describing how geodiversity contributes
to landscape beyond protected areas.
11. Geoconservation & Planning; explaining how the planning
system can be a crucial tool in conserving geodiversity.
12. Geoconservation and Policy: explaining how policy initiatives
can be a crucial way of conserving geodiversity.
13. Geodiversity & Geoconservation; describing how geoconservation
should be based on preserving geodiversity and
reviewing the methods of doing so.
14. Comparing and Integrating Geodiversity & Biodiversity
15. Conclusions
Your book starts with a quote by African
conservationist Baba Dioum: “For in the
end we will conserve only what we love. We
will love only what we understand. And we
will understand only what we are taught.”
Do you think this quote is still an important
message for those involved in geoconservation?
To get our audience to love the variety
of geo-nature, what does this mean for our
teaching of these issues?
Yes, I think the quote is important
because without explaining the value of abiotic
nature the public will not understand
why it should be conserved and why limited
public resources should be expended on
doing so. As geoscientists we have not been
good at explaining how geological research
tells us about the evolution of the planet
and its life and how modern societies could
not exist without a geodiverse world. For
example, about 15 different geomaterials
are used to make a mobile phone.
Figure 2: Controversial planning/geoconservation
site known as Birling Gap in East Sussex, England
(summary on p.322). The photo shows the eroding
Chalk cliffs, the staircase access to the beach
and the terrace of houses, three of which have
been demolished already. The site is an SSSI and
visited on the course fieldtrip.
What will be different in the new edition
of the book? What will be new?
There are now separate chapters on
World Heritage Sites and Global Geoparks
to reflect the growth in both the number
and importance of these networks. The
‘Valuing Geodiversity’ chapter has been
restructured around the ‘ecosystem services’
concept now prominent in nature
conservation circles but which underplays
the role of geodiversity. The description of
geoconservation methods in Chapter 13 is
among the other new aspects along with a
general updating.
Where and how have we moved forward
over the last ten years? What new issues
have come up?
I know that in many countries, geoconservation
has made significant strides
forward though there is still much to do,
particularly in the developing world where
we are losing geodiversity (and biodiversity)
every day. The global economic recession
has not helped to increase resources
for this work and in some cases has even
meant severe cutbacks.
The ‘Geopark’ initiative has been
very successful and promises to continue
expanding. I think we remain too
obsessed with protecting small geological
sites (important though this is) and do
not focus enough on respecting geodiversity
in the wider landscape, for example
in protecting the natural topography and
designing authentic landforms in landscaping
schemes.
What countries do you think have a
modern approach to geodiversity and
sustainable management?
Tasmania in Australia was the birthplace
of geodiversity and continues to have an
active group of researchers in the public
sector and a government committed to the
role of geodiversity.
The UK probably leads the world in geoconservation
policy and practice though
there have been recent setbacks. The geological
community in Spain has made very
important strides forward in recent years
in ensuring that new nature conservation
legislation includes geodiversity and in
promoting geodiversity within the IUCN
(international Union for the Conservation
of Nature).
What do you think is the most important
issue to pay attention to?
Each country (and provincial/regional
government) should review its nature conservation
legislation to ensure that geodiversity
and biodiversity are put on an equal
footing.
What could be the role of universities?
University degree courses in geology and
geography could usefully teach geodiversity
and geoconservation within existing or
separate modules. There is also a need for
additional Masters courses and research.
You have added a role in local government
and national park management to your
academic interests. What have you learnt
from this?
My appointment as Chairman of a local
government Planning Committee made me
shift my research interests to the interface
between planning and geomorphology. I
could not and would not have written my
book without that local government and
planning experience.
European Geologist 34 | November 2012
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