Abstract

The diversity of nature consists of two complementary components: biological diversity (biodiversity) and abiotic diversity (geodiversity). Biodiversity is widely acknowledged in both research, and conservation and management practices, whereas geodiversity (the variety of abiotic features and processes of the land surface and subsurface) is just emerging as a research and practical issue. In this study, we introduce the geodiversity concept in Finnish context and explore how landscapescale geodiversity varies in Finland and between Finnish municipalities. In addition, we study how geodiversity varies between nature areas and human impacted areas and how Finnish strict nature reserves and national parks succeed in capturing geodiversity. According to the results, there is distinct geographical variation in geodiversity in Finland. The geodiversity of municipalities varies through the country but, on average, municipalities in the southern and northern parts of the country have especially high geodiversity values. Interestingly, human impacted areas have slightly higher geodiversity than nature areas. Nature conservation areas manage especially well in capturing geomorphological richness. This study emphasizes the need for the investigation of geodiversity on a national and sub-national level. Study of geodiversity provides information on nature beyond current biodiversity-focused perspectives, which can be further utilized in e.g., land-use and nature conservation planning.