Geolo­gy tells the sto­ry of pla­net Eart­h’s histo­ry. In our natu­ral envi­ron­ment, the­re are uni­que geo­lo­gi­cal sites that are sci­en­ti­fi­cal­ly and educa­tio­nal­ly impor­tant for understan­ding the deve­lop­ment of life and the pla­net’s histo­ry. The­se sites must be pre­ser­ved. Geo­lo­gy also forms the founda­tion for bio­di­ver­si­ty and human histo­ry, and the geo­lo­gi­cal con­di­tions are neces­sa­ry to pre­ser­ve the­se values.

Geo­lo­gi­cal diver­si­ty can be seen as a natu­ral resour­ce that should be used in a sustai­nab­le way. To pre­ser­ve and manage the­se fun­c­tions over the long term, know­led­ge needs to be col­lec­ted, and vul­ne­ra­bi­li­ty ana­ly­ses of the sites need to be con­duc­ted. Geo­lo­gi­cal diver­si­ty is a key com­po­nent in main­tai­ning resi­li­ent natu­ral systems and the eco­sy­stem ser­vices that humans depend on. Natu­ral systems con­si­st of abi­o­tic and bio­tic factors, and geo­lo­gy direct­ly con­tri­bu­tes to all four types of eco­sy­stem ser­vices (sup­por­ting, regu­la­ting, pro­vi­sio­ning, cultural).

  • Geo­lo­gi­cal diver­si­ty is a fun­da­men­tal part of nature’s diver­si­ty, and pre­ser­ving vari­a­tion in geo­lo­gy is neces­sa­ry to build resi­li­ent natu­ral and human communities.
  • The geo­lo­gi­cal natu­ral values in the tab­le mountain lands­cape should be high­lighted, map­ped, and preserved.
  • Are­as with high geo­lo­gi­cal natu­ral values should be used in a way that does not destroy the­se values.
  • Pla­tå­ber­gens Geo­park should work to incre­a­se understan­ding and know­led­ge of the­se geo­lo­gi­cal natu­ral values and the geo­lo­gi­cal pro­ces­ses that shape the landscape.
  • Geo­lo­gi­cal natu­ral values are a neces­sa­ry resour­ce for human com­mu­ni­ti­es, but the­se resour­ces must be used sustai­nably and long-term wit­hout com­pro­mi­sing the needs of futu­re generations.

Pla­tå­ber­gens Geopark’s prin­ciples regar­ding geo­lo­gi­cal natu­ral values:

We iden­ti­fy the following values rela­ted to geo­lo­gi­cal diversity:

1. Int­rin­sic Value

Geo­lo­gi­cal diver­si­ty has value in and of itself, as part of pla­net Earth, regard­less of its bene­fit to humans.

2. Sci­en­ti­fic Value

Our geo­lo­gi­cal heri­tage inclu­des pla­ces and are­as that are impor­tant for rese­arch to understand the Earth’s deve­lop­ment, ongo­ing pro­ces­ses, and futu­re changes.

3. Value Based on Rari­ty or Distinctiveness

Seve­ral geo­lo­gi­cal sites are uni­que and should be pre­ser­ved as refe­rences for sci­ence or as impor­tant pla­ces for educa­tion and tourism.

4. Cul­tural and Histo­ri­cal Values

Human deve­lop­ment has always depen­ded on geo­lo­gi­cal resour­ces. The spe­ci­fic geo­lo­gi­cal con­di­tions of a pla­ce have sha­ped dif­fe­rent cul­tural and histo­ri­cal societies.

5. Eco­lo­gi­cal Values

Rocks rele­a­se vari­ous nut­ri­ents that affect flo­ra and vege­ta­tion. Dif­fe­rent types of soil, such as sand, gra­vel, and clay, influ­ence the soil. A vari­a­tion in geo­lo­gy pro­vi­des us with dif­fe­rent lands­cape forms and types, and a vari­a­tion in habi­tats and ecosystems.

6. Value through Con­tri­bu­tion to Eco­sy­stem Ser­vices (Geo­sy­stem Services)

Geo­lo­gi­cal diver­si­ty strongly con­tri­bu­tes to all four types of eco­sy­stem ser­vices. For examp­le, the geo­lo­gi­cal cyc­le is regu­la­to­ry, soil for­ma­tion pro­ces­ses are sup­por­ti­ve, access to nut­ri­ents and mine­rals is pro­vi­sio­ning, and oppor­tu­ni­ti­es for tou­rism and out­do­or recre­a­tion are cultural.

7. Value for Out­do­or Acti­vi­ti­es, Recre­a­tion, and Tourism

Spe­ci­fic geo­lo­gi­cal con­di­tions are the founda­tion for seve­ral tou­rist attrac­tions and out­do­or are­as. Geo­lo­gi­cal des­ti­na­tions evo­ke curi­o­si­ty and won­der, whi­le also pro­vi­ding know­led­ge about pla­net Earth. The­re­fo­re, geo­lo­gi­cal values often add an extra dimen­sion to natu­re expe­ri­ences, recre­a­tion, and out­do­or activities.

Pre­ser­ving Geo­lo­gi­cal Diver­si­ty – How?

Pla­tå­ber­gens Geo­park will work to pre­ser­ve the geo­lo­gi­cal diver­si­ty in the tab­le mountain lands­cape by:
1

Gat­he­ring facts and know­led­ge about the area’s geo­lo­gi­cal histo­ry and impor­tant geo­lo­gi­cal sites.

2

Main­tai­ning an inter­nal data­ba­se with fact she­ets for each geo­lo­gi­cal site, inclu­ding vul­ne­ra­bi­li­ty and acces­si­bi­li­ty analyses.

3

Regu­lar­ly visi­ting geo­lo­gi­cal sites in the field to moni­tor wear and other threats.

4

Col­la­bo­ra­ting with indi­vi­du­als, muni­ci­pa­li­ti­es, and other aut­ho­ri­ti­es to ensu­re that geo­lo­gi­cal con­ser­va­tion values are con­si­de­red in phy­si­cal planning.

5

Faci­li­ta­ting, col­la­bo­ra­ting with, and sti­mu­la­ting sci­en­ti­fic rese­arch wit­hin the geopark’s area.