Taking “Geodiversity” into Account to Better Manage Our Territories

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Maruf Hassan
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Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2023 10:31 am

Taking “Geodiversity” into Account to Better Manage Our Territories

Post by Maruf Hassan »

October 6, 2022 was commemorated, under the aegis of UNESCO, the International Day for Geodiversity . An event that received little media coverage despite its global reach, and relayed in France by rare local initiatives. What does this term still unknown to the general public hide? Appearing for the first time in 1993, this concept is directly inspired by the word “biodiversity”, popularized a year earlier at the Rio Earth Summit. Geodiversity represents in a way the abiotic or non-living counterpart of biodiversity . The most widespread definition of this concept refers to the natural variability of the non-living world in its geological (rocks, minerals, fossils), geomorphological (relief, physical processes), pedological (soils and interface media) and hydrological ( surface and groundwater), as well as their structures, assemblages and contributions to the formation of landscapes in a given area. Geodiversity is thus broken down into several components that go from the subsoil to the ground, an interface medium between the living and the non-living. Like biodiversity , geodiversity is subject to various pressures and threats while supporting many human activities and developments.

An unthought of the protection of nature Actions for the protection of nature and the sustainable development of territories, however, neglect the non-living components which are also an integral part of ecosystems. However, these rocks, reliefs, soils or waters are the essential support of biodiversity and contribute to meeting the needs of human societies. Despite its importance, geodiversity occupies a low place in the environmental concerns and political agendas of many countries, including France. The terms "environment", "biodiversity", "ecology" are the only ones that constantly come up in the speeches and minds of elected officials, planners, the general public and all the actors involved in the planning process. territorial. The global changes we are experiencing have phone number list repercussions at different scales, which translate into new thinking on better allocation and better management of spaces. But can we sustainably develop our territories without having a global vision of what an ecosystem is, in its living dimension... and non-living?

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These are the "abiotic ecosystem services" or "geosystem services" , emphasizing the importance that geodiversity can have not only from a cultural point of view, but also as a support function (soil development, support of natural habitats ), supply (water, food, raw materials) and regulation of natural cycles (regulation of climate, nutrient cycles, erosion control, water quality). Take the example of the Andean mountains and their role in supplying raw materials or in regulating the South American climate by blocking flows from the Pacific. We should also mention the contribution of volcanoes to the formation of very fertile soils suitable for agriculture. Or the limestone rocks acting as aquifers used to supply drinking and non-drinking water. The city of Rome, fed by groundwater from the limestone chain of the Apennines, is the perfect example. Finally, certain reliefs or rock formations are imbued with cultural or spiritual values. This is the case of Mount Uluru in Australia, a sacred place linked to the Pitjantjatjara aboriginal people.
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