DEMOGRAPHY AND ANTHROPOGENIC GEOMORPHOLOGY AS THREATS TO GEODIVERSITY IN URBANIZED GEOPARK: GEODIVERSITY HOTSPOT ASSESSMENT IN JOGJA GEOPARK, INDONESIA

This research assesses geodiversity hotspots to identify areas needing regional geoconservation, focusing on the Jogja Geopark and its geosites-geodiversity sites. Previous studies have modified threat indices by adding, removing, or replacing sub-threat components. Here, population density, representing demographic pressure, and anthropogenic intervention, indicating anthropogenic geomorphology dynamics, are included as sub-threat indices. Geodiversity and threat data were assessed at a 1:50,000 scale with a 0.5 km2 grid respectively. Involved data includes geopark and geosites outer boundary, lithology, tectonics and structures, landform systems, surface hydrology, hydrogeology, soil order, population density per km2 , and anthropogenic intervention. Feature calculation method was used to calculate geodiversity and threat from those datas. Geodiversity hotspots within the Jogja Geopark, highlighting areas urgently needing regional geoconservation. The Kartamantul (Yogyakarta - Sleman - Bantul) metropolitan area and surrounding three geosites: Kalibawang Eocene-age Nanggulan Formation; Mengger Hills Opak Fault; and Parangtritis Sand Dunes require the most attention. Meanwhile, geodiversity sites in Jogja Geopark generally show low to medium sensitivity. This indicates that the processes and outcomes of socio-economic systems actively threaten geoecosystems, particularly in the relatively passive geodiversity element on Jogja Geopark area and its geosites. Meanwhile, geodiversity sites are threatened by socio-economic systems although in a different intensity from geosites because of the narrow area and the scale of the study that has not been able to accommodate all geodiversity phenomena and threats in it. This study confirms the substantial impact of human activities on geodiversity. By integrating geodiversity and threat indices, critical sites for immediate geoconservation have been identified. The findings stress the urgency of implementing effective conservation policies to protect the geopark from further degradation.