Multi-scale relationship between geodiversity and biodiversity across high-latitude environments: implications for nature conservation

The capability of present conservation actions to protect and sustain biodiversity in the face of global change is under debate. One solution could be Conserving Nature's Stage framework which states that geodiversity (e.g. data on geological, geomorphological and hydrological richness) could be used as a coarse filter strategy for conserving biodiversity. This study investigates the potential of the framework by examining the relationship between biodiversity and geodiversity at high-latitude environments.

The results of this thesis highlighted the overall positive relationships between geo- and biodiversity at both landscape and local scales. Geodiversity added explanatory power for biodiversity models and accounted uniquely for richness patterns for both common and threatened species of multiple taxa. This reinforces recent arguments that Conserving Nature's Stage is an important and valid principle in conservation.