Global geodiversity components are not equally represented in UNESCO Global Geoparks.

ABSTRACT: The aim of UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGs) is to protect globally significant geoheritage and geodiversity, but quantitative evidence on the global representativeness of geodiversity components (i.e. geology, soils, geomorphology and hydrology) in these geoparks is in short supply. Here, we provide a first assessment by deriving a global map of geodiversity to test whether the presence of geodiversity components in UGGs is representative for the global availability and distribution of geodiversity. Using openly accessible global datasets and a newly developed workflow, we have calculated metrics for each geodiversity component and a global geodiversity index; we then quantified whether UGGs represent global geodiversity and then compared their components to a randomized spatial distribution

SUBMITTER: Polman EMN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10859229 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature