DYNAMICS OF GEODIVERSITY AND ECO-DIVERSITY IN TERRITORIAL SYSTEMS

Abstract

Two concepts, the “territorial system” and the “ecosystem”, describe similar realities from different standpoints. For both systems, one of the key features is diversity, called geodiversity in the first case, and eco- or biodiversity in the second. The paper analyzes their definitions and proposes a clarification: overlapping with geodiversity, eco-diversity includes biodiversity. In this interpretation, urbanization processes determine the loss of biodiversity, but increased geodiversity, reflected by the consumption of resources appreciated as primary eco-energies.