LAUSR

Geodiversity-based ecosystem services are functions provided by elements of geodiversity that benefit society and future generations. Their adequate evaluation is important to assess losses and the value of nature, both qualitatively and quantitatively, and may be the key to the sustainable use of natural abiotic heritage by means of inclusion in land-management programmes. This work first presents an initial contribution to the inclusion of geodiversity in the ecosystem approach in the coastal region of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The qualitative evaluation presented has identified 56 ecosystem services distributed across four functions—regulation, supporting, provisioning and cultural—that give an overview of the importance of geodiversity in the region. The ecosystem approach is placed as a potentially important influence on public policies for the management of geodiversity and geoheritage, depending on the effectiveness of communication with decision-makers and society. It is also the intention to provide the bases for future works regarding the detailed assessment of ecosystem services in the context of geodiversity in the region.