Geodiversity: Valuing and Conserving Abiotic Nature Book

Since the UN Convention on Biodiversity was signed, attention has been focused on protecting and enhancing biological diversity. However, this does not include the rocks, landforms and processes that form the physical elements of our own environment. These elements have their own diversity – a geodiversity.

Geodiversity: valuing and conserving abiotic nature is the first book to focus specifically on the geodiversity of the planet and the threats to this diversity, to explain the value of inanimate nature and to assess the approaches that should be taken to conserve it.

This text is unique in several ways:

• Reviews different approaches taken around the world, including USA, Canada, Europe and Australia
• Reviews new ideas including Natural Areas, Landscape Character, georestoration, landform design, sustainable use of geomaterials, Environmental Impact Assessment and Geodiversity Action Plans
• Compares geo- and biodiversity, es tablishes the need for integration of nature conservation strategies, and provides a vision for the future

Beginning with an overall definition and description of geodiversity, this book examines the value of geodiversity to society and the threats that exist to it. It then goes on to survey traditional approaches to protect geodiversity and the new management agenda which is starting to be used in addition. It concludes by looking at the interrelationships of geodiversity and biodiversity and their place in sustainable land management approaches.

This book is for geologists and geomorphologists, nature conservationists, ecologists, landscape planners and architects. It would also make an excellent reference for undergraduates taking courses in Environmental Management, Nature Conservation, Resource Management or Applied Geology within Departments of Geography, Geology and Environmental Science, as well as Landscape Architecture, Planning and Archaeology.