156-3 UNESCO International Geodiversity Day: A New Opportunity for Public and Policy Engagement

Session: Geoheritage Without Borders: International Perspectives on the Conservation and Celebration of Geodiversity, Part I

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The world is facing many challenges, with most in some way related to nature. However, the vast majority of the focus on nature within these challenges has been on biodiversity – the biotic part of nature. Geodiversity is the abiotic equivalent of biodiversity and has been defined as “the natural range (diversity) of geological (rocks, minerals, fossils), geomorphological (landforms, topography, physical processes), soil and hydrological features. It includes their assemblages, structures, systems and contributions to landscapes” (Gray, 2013). Public and policy discourse around nature has largely omitted discussion of geodiversity, even though it provides many benefits including underpinning every ecosystem, supplying resources, and documenting a record of earth history.

To help address this imbalance, in November 2021 the UNESCO General Conference declared that International Geodiversity Day (IGD) would be celebrated on October 6^th each year. Since then, IGD has provided an annual opportunity to promote the importance and wonder of our planet. IGD is a unique international celebration to popularise geodiversity and geoscience, with each year having a theme: in 2025 it is ‘One Earth, Many Stories’. This presentation will outline examples of how groups and individuals from around the world have used IGD to engage audiences with topics in geodiversity, increasing understanding amongst diverse communities from across six continents. In addition, the presentation will provide case studies of geoscience policy engagement, where IGD has been used to advance new legislative and other governance endeavours. By sharing successes from around the world, it is hoped that IGD can continue to expand, reaching new audiences and helping to further include geodiversity within policy frameworks.

The time has come for geodiversity to take its place alongside biodiversity as a recognised and useful part of nature, and something everyone should celebrate, especially on International Geodiversity Day.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-8861

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