Quantitative Geodiversity Assessment and Functional Zoning of Longhushan UNESCO Global Geopark of Southeast China

Longhushan UNESCO Global Geopark (UGGp) of Southeast China is characterized by a well-developed red-bed rock landscape with outstanding geoheritage value and diverse geomorphological features. However, a systematic quantitative assessment of its geodiversity has yet to be conducted, constraining spatially explicit strategies for geoheritage conservation and sustainable management. This study developed an eight-indicator assessment framework integrating geology, geomorphology, hydrology and pedology and integrated field survey data with GIS-based spatial analysis. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to derive objective indicator weights, and a geodiversity index (GI) was calculated for 1 km × 1 km grid cells and classified into five levels using natural breaks. Very high and high GI areas account for 22.30% of the total area and are concentrated mainly in Xianshuiyan, Xiangshan, Guifeng, and Yingtianshan, whereas low and very low GI areas together account for 50.22% and are distributed mainly in the central and northwestern parts and peripheral plains of the geopark; the remaining 27.48% falls within the moderate class, transitional between the two patterns. High GI areas broadly coincide with representative rock landforms and are associated primarily with topographic differentiation, lithological diversity, and fractures. Based on the GI pattern, Longhushan UGGp is divided into core conservation and utilization zone, key conservation and utilization zone, and ecological conservation buffer zone. This first quantitative geodiversity assessment of Longhushan UGGp provides a spatial basis for geoconservation, geotourism planning, and sustainable management of comparable red-bed conglomerate terrains in Southeast China.