IGU to Host Seminar for Geodiversity Day

The 6th of October is the International Geodiversity Day proclaimed by UNESCO in 2021 for a worldwide celebration bringing people together to promote the many aspects of geodiversity. The International Geographical Union (IGU) supports this new initiative strongly, and has established a Geodiversity Group in order to enhance awareness of this international day, to highlight the significance of geodiversity, and to explore geographical perspectives on geodiversity. The IGU Geodiversity Group, with the support of the IGU Executive Committee, is pleased to announce the third IGU Seminar on Geodiversity from Geographical Perspectives, which will be held online. The theme for this year’s Geodiversity Day has been announced as “One Earth, Many Stories”.

Seminar Programme

Introduction (10:00 – 10:10) - All times in GMT.

Chief Coordinator: Prof. Yukio Himiyama (IGU Past President, himiyamay@kkd.biglobe.ne.jp)

Session 1: Geodiversity and Physical Geography (10:10 – 10:30)

Coordinator: Prof. Hiroya Yamano (Department of Earth and Planetary Science, The University of Tokyo, yamano@eps.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp)

The present session aims at showcasing the current state of Geodiversity in the world, highlighting the significance, properties and interpretations of variety of assemblages of 1) geological/geomorphological features and other Earth surface features including soils and landscapes, 2) their spatial-temporal dynamics, and 3) the underlying environmental processes. Presenters outline the major features of geodiversity in their case (the scale is up to the presenter) with an indication of what features and processes are considered to be most significant and why. It would be followed by a description of the measures taken to conserve the geodiversity in question, in collaboration with biogeography and human geography perspectives.

Presenter:

1) Hiroya Yamano (The University of Tokyo, Japan)

Geodiversity and landscape history of coral reefs

Session 2: Geodiversity and Biogeography (10:30 – 11:10)

Coordinator: Prof. Pei Wang (Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, pwang@ihb.ac.cn)

Understanding the underlying principles between geodiversity and biodiversity worldwide paves the way to better recognize the patterns that shape biogeography. This session aims to collect various cases and resolutions focusing on the UNESCO dual designation of Global Geoparks and Biosphere Reserves, and to figure out how geodiversity sustains biodiversity at local, regional, and global level from the geographical and biogeochemical perspectives. It will benefit all the stakeholders in protecting our geo-heritages and conserving biodiversity on our planet as well as contribute to the global 2030 Agenda.

Presenters:

1) Germ Mateja (University of Ljubljana / Chair of Ecology and Environment Conservation) Macrophytes and their adaptations to aquatic ecosystems

2) Hui Yang (Yunnan University)

Impacts of geological conditions on the geodiversity in karst trough nature reserve

3) Ileana Serrano Fraire (Universidad Autonoma Antonio Narro / Official Spokesperson FAO for Latin America and the Caribbean)

The evolution of Mexico’s conservation legal framework under the CBD and Nagoya Protocol: Impacts on innovation, technological development, and comparative insights from India, South Africa, and France

Session 3: Inhabiting the Earth – Social and Cultural Geography for Geodiversity (11:10 – 11:40)

Coordinator: Prof. Louis Dupont (Chair of the IGU Commission on Cultural Geography, Society and Heritage, Institute of Geography, Sorbonne University, France, louis.dupont@sorbonne-universite.fr, duponlouis@aol.com)

In inhabiting the Earth, human beings are the origin of networks of interconnected worlds: in brief, geodiversity. This session aims at exploring how cultural and social geography can contribute to rethinking nature, place, and cultures in times of climate disruption, biodiversity loss, and shifting landscapes. A variety of themes and issues can be discussed: Critically examine environmental discourses and imaginaries in geography; Explore how place, identity, and belonging are shaped in response to ecological transformation; Examine the role of cultural heritage in regard to nature and the environment; Engage with indigenous, feminist, postcolonial, or posthuman perspectives on nature; Interrogate the cultural politics of sustainability, adaptation, and resilience; Foreground the role of cultural and social geography in shaping more just and plural ecological futures; Leaving the Earth…

Presenters:

1) Andrea González Pérez and Lucrezia Lopez (University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain) SOS Fire: A socio-cultural perspective on the causes of wildfires in Galicia (Spain) as reflected in the press

2) Louis Dupont (Sorbonne University, France)

Being from a place on earth: Spatial attachment and sociability

The planned session on Human Geography for Geodiversity has been cancelled.

Session 5: Round Table on “One Earth, Many Stories” (11:40 – 12:30)

Chair: Prof. Yukio Himiyama (IGU Past President) Discussants: Prof. Mike Meadows (IGU Immediate Past President) Prof. Hiroya Yamano (Department of Earth and Planetary Science, The University of Tokyo) Prof. Pei Wang (Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences) Prof. Maria Paradiso (IGU Vice President, University Federico II, Naples, and National Marine Biodiversity Centre) Prof. Louis Dupont (Chair of the IGU Commission on Cultural Geography, Society and Heritage, Institute of Geography, Sorbonne University, France) Prof. Monica Dumitrascu (IGU-LUCC Commission Chair, Romanian Academy)

Link: https://u-tokyo-ac-jp.zoom.us/j/84217428249

Number: 842 1742 8249, Code: 869114

Host: Prof. Hiroya Yamano

International Geodiversity Day is grateful to the International Geographic Union for their continued support for UNESCO International Geodiversity Day.