Geodiversity: values and threats in the Anthropocene

Murray Gray

Presentation information

[E] Oral

U (Union ) » Union

[U-04] Environments of the Anthropocene: Natural Diversity and Resilience Perspective

Sun. May 21, 2023 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM Exhibition Hall Special Setting (1) (Exhibition Hall 8, Makuhari Messe)

convener:Abhik Chakraborty(Wakayama University ), Simon Richard Wallis(The University of Tokyo), Chiaki T. Oguchi(Institute for Environmental Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University), Chairperson:Simon Richard Wallis(The University of Tokyo)

4:03 PM - 4:18 PM

[U04-03] Geodiversity: values and threats in the Anthropocene

★Invited Papers

*Murray Gray¹ (1.Fellow of the Geological Society of London)

Keywords:Geodiversity, Values, Threats, Sustainable development

Geodiversity is the abiotic equivalent of biodiversity and covers the diversity of minerals, rocks, fossils, sediments, landforms, topographies, physical process, soils and hydrological features, all of which are part of the planet’s ‘natural capital’. Human societies have exploited this diversity for millennia and today they benefit our modern societies in a huge number of ways (‘geosystem services’). However, most of the world’s geodiversity is non-renewable and is therefore susceptible to complete loss or extinction. For this reason, it is important that the use of the physical resources of the planet is minimised or sustainably managed as far as possible, including in accordance with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and Targets. This presentation will examine some of these issues.