Put simply, geodiversity describes our heritage of rocks, soils, landforms and their formative processes which make up the landscape. Geodiversity is all around us and plays a major role in defining the landscape. It is the diversity of England’s geology and natural processes that has produced the wide range of landforms and soil types. These influence land use, which crops we grow and the distribution and nature of habitats. The cultural influence of geodiversity on people is also strong. The location of many of our cities is influenced by the distribution of mineral resources, especially coal, and many people feel strong cultural ties with their industrial past. The character of our cities, towns and villages is also influenced by geodiversity and local building stones.