Prof Marco Giardino writes for GeodiversityDay.org about the Virtuous Circle of Geodiversity, and how scientists, conservationists, and politicians have worked together in Piemonte, Italy, to enact a new law on geodiversity.
Marco Giardino is Associate Professor of Physical Geography and Geomorphology at the University of Torino, where he teaches “Geoheritage & Geodiversity” and other courses at the School of Science of Nature.
Geodiversity is the natural range (diversity) of geological (rocks, mineral, fossils), geomorphological (landforms, topography, physical processes), soils and hydrological features. It includes their assemblages, structures, systems and contributions to the landscapes on our planet. After this definition was internationally accepted, at the beginning of the 21st century, the geodiversity concept started growing in importance beyond the scientific world, because of its strong relationship with cultural, environmental, and socio-economic issues.
In fact, geodiversity is much more than a simple, static inventory of Earth's geological characteristics: it is a dynamic continuum that reflects millennia of geological processes and the history they tell to humanity. Moreover, in the last decade, earth scientists have demonstrated that geological materials, landforms and natural processes not only contribute to geodiversity, but also human activities and culture.
This dynamic, comprehensive and holistic view of geodiversity is yearly promoted at a global scale thanks to the initiatives of the International Geodiversity Day proclaimed by UNESCO at the 41st General Conference in 2021. Since 2022, on October 6th an array of events are locally organized worldwide for showing properly the whole geodiversity values.
By communicating the most updated geoscience knowledge, some initiatives of geodiversity day provide information on those dynamic processes associated with, which eventually cause geohazards and risks to society, such as volcanic eruptions, landslides, glacial instability, etc.
Geodiversity also provides a variety of regulating ecosystem services and information about the planets past, such as those offered by geoheritage. For example, geological and geomorphological features with scientific values (geosites) can be attractive for tourist purposes, such as a glacier for its role in modelling the mountain landscape according to climate change, or a volcano for its eruptions, lavas and related landforms.
On the eve of the 3rd International Geodiversity Day (2024), the Earth Sciences Department of the University of Torino, Italy (UniTO-DST; https://disten.campusnet.unito.it/do/home.pl ), the Sesia Val Grande UNESCO Global Geopark (SVUGGp; (http://www.sesiavalgrandegeopark.it/index.php/en/) and the Italian Glaciological Committee (CGI; (https://www.glaciologia.it/en/ ) jointly presented the results of the “The Earth in your hands” initiative (“La Terra nelle tue Mani”, in Italian language): a multiscale (global to local) effort for increasing public engagement on geodiversity, based on the presentation of good practices aimed at enhanced societal awareness of georesources and geohazards related to dynamic geodiversity, and of human activities impacting Earth system processes.
The basic concept of the initiative is related to the fact that today - due to natural and anthropogenic factors - young (and older) generations have the Earth in their hands, because of stronger than ever interactions between natural and human activities. Moreover, widespread availability of geoscience digital data through personal electronic devices makes a larger audience capable of being informed about geodiversity, which is crucial for addressing informed decisions on sustainable development.
A coordinated series of public engagement activities have been included within “The Earth in their hands” initiative: a) audiovisual recording, media interviews and press releases, b) presentations to general public and technical meetings with local stakeholders; c) field trips within geosites and geoparks; d) educational activities with schools (https://www.geodidalab.it/ ), e) webpages activations (https://www.progeopiemonte.it/en/geodiversita/ ). These allowed presentation of targeted contents on the application of the geodiversity concept within selected research and educational projects: H2020 “ArcticHubs” (Global drivers, local consequences: Tools for climate change adaptation and sustainable development for Arctic industrial and cultural hubs; https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/869580/it ERASMUS+ project “GEOclimHOME-PRO” (Geoheritage and Climate Change for Highlighting the Professional Perspective"), “GeoDIVE” (Full immersion on geodiversity, From rocks to stones, from landforms to landscapes; https://www.geositlab.unito.it/geodive/ ); PROGEO-Piemonte (PROactive management of GEOlogical heritage in the PIEMONTE region; https://www.progeopiemonte.it/en/ ).
Other than the results of the projects, “The Earth in your hands” initiative showed that a comprehensive research methodology is already available for enhanced use of the dynamic geodiversity concept within fragile environments such as the Arctic and the Alpine Region ( https://www.dst.unito.it/do/gruppi.pl/Show?_id=kguf ):
To Map Geodiversity to evidence environmental change (at various time scales)
To Assess the drivers causing pressures and impacts on the state of the environment
To Recognize human activities impacting Earth system processes
Thanks to the participation in the Geodiversity Day initiative, “The Earth in your hands” reinforces geosciences’ fundamental role in promoting geodiversity within sustainable development policies and highlights their possible contributions to the enhancement of natural and cultural heritage. Moreover it indicates that important steps forward can be achieved in the legislative and regulation recognition of Geodiversity.
Using the Piemonte Region (North-west part of Italy) as a learning case study, an innovative -conceptual and operational - “circular approach” is proposed as the “virtuous circle of geodiversity” (https://www.dst.unito.it/do/gruppi.pl/Show?_id=kguf ) , including:
1) the use of digital knowledge for assessing geodiversity, functional for;
2) inventorying geosites and enhancing geoheritage, therefore allowing;
3) growth of sustainable geotourism, and;
4) public recognition of the whole “virtuous circle”, also by means of adequate legislative administrative recognition, culminating in the L.23/2023 Regional Law on geoheritage conservation, management and valorization.
Comparative analyses of scientific literature on the rich Piemonte geodiversity (1) lead to the identification of the most representative geothematic areas and related geosites (2), including landforms, geological units and processes of different ages and environments. Creation of description and interpretation of the scientific and additional values of geosites, related to educational, cultural, aesthetic and other interests, allowed comprehensive assessments of natural and cultural heritage; these are supporting promotion and management initiatives in the regional territory (3). To ensure a balance between the protection of nature and the need for local economic development, we aim for a sustainable use of geosites of high scientific value for educational activities, geotourism itineraries, cultural proposals, thus enhancing their local economic resources. The virtuous circle of geodiversty (4) can be strengthened by territorial policies that develop geoheritage assessment and at the same time promote sustainable use of the environment, particularly through environmentally-friendly geotourism.
The Regional Law 23/2023 (https://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/eli/id/2024/02/03/23R00521/s3 ) issued by the Piemonte Region government for the provisions for the conservation, management and valorization of the geological heritage recognizes the public interest of geodiversity and geological heritage; it identifies elements of particular scientific, cultural and landscape value within geosites and geoparks; it promotes the conservation, improvement of knowledge and management, scientific, educational, cultural and tourist valorization of geosites in compliance with the principles and state and community provisions on the matter. Thanks to this Law - announced on International Geodiversity Day 2022 - the territories of the Sesia Val Grande UNESCO Global Geopark (SVUGGp) (NW Alps, Italy) can also be better valued and protected. The Department of Earth Sciences of the University of Turin, together with various institutions of the Piemonte Regional government, including Arpa Piemonte (Environmental Protection Agency), the Regional Museum of Natural Sciences is grateful to the International Day initiative for having acted as a booster of the public recognition of the “virtuous circle of Geodiversity”.
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