IUCN defines a protected area as: A clearly defined geographical space, recognised, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values.

Geoheritage comprises those elements and features of the Earth’s geodiversity, either singly or in combination, that are considered to have significant value for intrinsic, scientific, educational, cultural, spiritual, aesthetic, ecological or ecosystem reasons and therefore deserve conservation.

These Guidelines are intended to help improve the conservation and management of geoheritage and geodiversity in protected and conserved areas and recognition of the interrelationships and interactions with biological features and processes. They are not a textbook on geoconservation management practice, but rather set out the essential background, context and principles; summarise relevant material to make it more readily accessible to users in one volume; and provide links to the key literature and additional sources that include detailed practical guidance. The use of best practice examples from around the world will hopefully give users renewed confidence in looking after geoheritage and in connecting geoconservation with biodiversity conservation.

This best practice guideline, number 31 in the series, is the first to address a fundamental part of nature - geodiversity and geoheritage and its protection and conservation following the broadening of the IUCN definition of a protected area to embrace all of nature.
Written by an international team of experts in easy to understand language, this guideline is principally for the use by protected area managers and staff and their advisors. It spells out why geoheritage conservation (geoconservation for short) is needed, contrary to the popular view that it is stable and cannot be damaged. It describes the commonly accepted values of geoconservation, including the all-important link with biodiversity conservation through ecosystem functionality.

Nine fundamental principles of geoconservation are described and examples provided. The guideline focusses, in particular, on how to establish geoconservation protected and conserved areas alone or as an addition to existing systems for biodiversity and cultural diversity conservation for example. Much of the guideline focuses on setting up management systems, monitoring change, with examples provided from around the world on recent best practice. Specific attention is given to the management of threats from human activities, including climate change, and what steps should be taken to deal with them. Particular attention is given to four situations common around the world: cave and karst areas, glacial and periglacial areas, volcanic areas, and minerals and fossils. Best practice in educating the public completes the guideline.

In numerous sacred scriptures, which influence over 85% of humankind, some geological elements have prominent roles. Both the Bible and the Quran were written in arid or desert ecosystems, where geological features dominate the
landscape. No wonder that geological symbols and metaphors are often used. In the Bible, the word “rock” is used some
150 times, being more often a reference to God than anything else (Wellman, 2015). “God the Rock” appears in the Psalms, Deuteronomy, and several prophetic books.

In the New Testament references to “drinking from a spiritual rock” and “the rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:4) occur. The Kaaba, the cubic shaped sanctuary, attributed to the prophet Abraham/ Ibrahim, is located in the centre of the sacred mosque of Mecca, the holiest city of Islam. In the eastern corner of the Kaaba lies the famous Black Stone, probably a meteorite, which “fell from heaven” and has been held in reverence by pilgrims for centuries. The revelation of the Quran is said to have begun in a small cave of the mount An Nur, where Muhammad used to take retreats. The purity attributed to clean stones and sands in the Islamic tradition is attested to by the fact that both can be used for ritual purifications when water is lacking. Authors: Crofts, R.*, Gordon, J.E., Brilha, J., Gray, M., Gunn, J., Larwood, J., Santucci, V.L., Tormey, D., and Worboys, G.L.