EVALUATION OF THE GEOMORPHOLOGICAL HERITAGE OF THE MUNICIPALITIES OF SÃO BENTO DO NORTE, CAIÇARA DO NORTE AND PEDRA GRANDE – RN
geodiversity; geoheritage; geomorphological heritage, geomorphossites
Geodiversity consists of the multiplicity of geological, geomorphological, pedological and hydrological elements and processes that gave rise to planet Earth. It is through the interaction of this variety of inanimate elements that rocks, minerals, fossils and other surface deposits will exist that give rise to landscapes and support life on Earth, with this abiotic environment threatened with degradation. From this, geologists and geomorphologists have focused their studies on the protection of geoheritage, mainly in the context of geomorphological patrimony, through geoconservation. In this research, geoheritage is based, as a set of elements of exceptional values, divided into different categories of patrimony with a specific focus on some areas, namely: geological patrimony; geomorphological, hydrological, pedological, paleontological and others. However, the geomorphological heritage, object of this research, is characterized as a set of landforms to which some type of value is attributed (scientific and/or aesthetic, cultural, economic, functional and educational). In this way, this research will highlight the theoretical-methodological contributions with regard to the geomorphological heritage and outline the geoconservation strategies, in order to carry out a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the geomorphodiversity of the coastal zone of the municipalities of São Bento do Norte, Caiçara do Nortes, Pedra Grande-RN, in a conceptual approach for the development of natural history and geoforms in the area. In this study, based on the methodology used, four sites considered geomorphosites were identified. Methodologically, the research represents a qualitative approach, with a descriptive purpose of the locations, geomorphological elements and other components of the landscape.The quantitative evaluation fits the application of values through four criteria, namely: Scientific value (Vci), Aesthetic value (Vest), Tourist value (Vtur) and Use and management value (VUG), which resulted in the identification of the four geomorphosites of high scientific value (Vci) and/or aesthetic value (Vest), with the identification of the geomorphosites Praia do Farol, Praia de Serafim, Praia de Enxu Quemado and Praia do Marco. The objective of the research was to list locations in the coastal zone with geomorphological potential and diversity of abiotic elements. We therefore highlight the importance of geoconservation strategies for these sites and the threats to this geoheritage. This information contributes to a more detailed description of this region, for which there are still few studies focused on this sector and with this theme, in which these studies can subsidize planning and management measures, in addition to promoting geotourism in these places.