As the climate and habitats change, many species are forced to leave their homes and seek new favorable places to live. Biodiversity loss cannot be stopped solely by protecting areas where species currently occur. The adaptation of species to changing conditions, such as range shifts, must also be taken into account. The non-living nature and its variation, geodiversity, sets the stage for the movements of many species.
Local conditions, to which species have adapted, are changing and even disappearing rapidly, forcing species either to adapt to the changed conditions or to move to a new favorable area. Climate is changing rapidly, and it is increasingly difficult for many species to keep up with its pace. Access to newly favorable habitat is further complicated by the fact that suitable habitats appear in ever smaller and more fragmented patches in a landscape heavily influenced by human activity. Therefore, the movement between areas can be difficult to navigate.
By securing ecological corridors and green connections, ecological connectivity, the aim is to maintain and strengthen the adaptation capability of biodiversity. However, the dispersal methods and abilities of species vary, which makes corridor planning difficult when movement of multiple species must be supported with limited nature conservation resources.
The abiotic, i.e., non-living nature, including bedrock and soil, hydrology, landforms, and the processes that shape them, form the physical boundaries within which species live and move. In varied terrain, solar radiation, moisture, and soil material are distributed unevenly, creating varying conditions. This local variation enables several species, and individuals with differing environmental requirements, to live side by side in the same area.
Geodiversity, the diversity and variation of abiotic nature, is often described as nature’s stage, on which different actors, species, perform. The basic hypothesis is simple: the more diverse the physical stage, the more diverse life forms and stories can perform on it simultaneously.
As the climate changes and species seek new favorable habitats, geodiversity can have a new role: nature’s housing market. The more varied the housing stock in a new area, the more diverse residents and communities can be expected to move there. Geodiversity thus has an important role in the success of species migrations, the finding of refuge and home places, and the safeguarding of biodiversity.
Geodiversity as part of biodiversity conservation
The abiotic nature mirrors the development of the Earth’s surface and subsurface, provides and regulates critical ecosystem services, shapes local cultures and offers breathtaking nature experiences. Geodiversity is protected for its intrinsic value, among other things, with the help of UNESCO’s international Geopark network.
In biodiversity conservation, however, geodiversity has only recently emerged as an additional tool, although paleoecological studies have revealed that varied landscapes have been irreplaceable for the survival of species during past climate changes. The microclimatic variation caused by varied terrain, the buffering effect of temperature and moisture conditions offered by adjacent water bodies, and the distribution of different minerals and nutrients in the soil may have served as stepping stones or temporary shelters during previous ecological turmoil caused by changes in climate.
As climate change and habitat fragmentation test the resilience of biodiversity, it is not enough to secure species’ current habitats. Predicting the adaptation methods, migration routes, and locations of new homes for all species, let alone individuals, is impossible. Therefore, conservation should be targeted at places that are believed to enhance the resilience of many species. The examination of geodiversity as nature’s housing market supports established area-based nature conservation methods and promotes a comprehensive view of safeguarding nature – living and non-living.
However, a more vigorous examination of the components of geodiversity – geology and soil types, hydrology, and landforms – in nature conservation is not enough to halt the sixth mass extinction. The root causes of biodiversity loss must be addressed. Mitigating climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and stopping the deterioration of the state of land and water areas is a prerequisite for all organisms living on Earth and their well-being – both people and other species.
This English translation was produced from the original Finnish text with Google Gemini.
Original text (in Finnish): Aino-Maija Määttänen, Researcher, Finnish Environment Institute, Doctoral Researcher, University of Oulu Geography Research Unit, Visiting Researcher, Finnish Museum of Natural History LUOMUS, Unit of Botany and Mycology
Photo: Agustin Garagorry
The text is based on Aino-Maija Määttänen’s article published in the Finnish journal Tieteessä tapahtuu 4/2025.
