To what extent are ecosystem services provided by geodiversity affected by anthropogenic impacts? A quantitative study in Caraguatatuba, Southeast coast of Brazil

Abstract

Ecosystem services (ES) provided by geodiversity are goods that directly and indirectly benefit society and can be classified into regulating, supporting, provisioning, cultural, and knowledge functions. The integrated assessment of geodiversity with an emphasis on ES is relevant for conservation and territorial management strategies. The current work aims the identification and assessment of impacts on ES provided by geodiversity in the Caraguatatuba county, with an emphasis in the Serra do Mar State Park (SMSP), on the Southeast coast of Brazil. The methodological procedures followed two steps: (i) identification of the ES based on the recognition of the Essential Geodiversity Variables (EGVs) and bibliographic research and (ii) quantitative assessment of the impacts on the ES provided by geodiversity based on land use categories. Seventy-five ES provided by geodiversity were identified in Caraguatatuba, being the ecosystem functions affected by urban area and native vegetation land use categories, respectively: supporting (50.9%), regulating (47.7%), cultural (41.9%), knowledge (34.9%), and provisioning (31.2%). The results indicate that the supporting and regulating functions, such as aquifers, fauna and flora habitats, and carbon sequestration and storage, are the ones that require the most effective environmental impact mitigation measures. This approach can contribute not only to academic works, but to different economic sectors to achieve sustainable development.