The International Geodiversity Day was established during the 41st session of the UNESCO General Conference. From now on the 6th of October will be an annual worldwide celebration raising awareness across society about the importance of non-living nature for the well-being and prosperity of all living beings on the planet.

The Global Geoparks Network (GGN) was among the organizations supporting the proposal submitted to UNESCO.

The International Geodiversity Day provides an opportunity for the society at large to understand the links between geodiversity and life. Geological heritage represents the foundations of the habitats for all living creatures. Geodiversity provides us with the evidence to reconstruct the long history of our planet and the evolution of life on it. Geodiversity is the source of materials that build our landscapes our cities our monuments and our civilizations. Geodiversity is a source of inspiration for our poets painters and musicians and the driving force for the development of geo-tourism that supports sustainable development of rural communities.

It is also an opportunity for international collaboration and combined outreach activities between UNESCO’s International Geoscience and Geoparks Programme (IGGP) the Global Geoparks Network the 169 UNESCO Global Geoparks in 44 countries around the Globe and the various organizations and institutions of the global community of geosciences to underline the essential role geoscientific knowledge plays in the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals - UN Agenda 2030.

 (This news is from the news feed of the Global Geoparks Network .)