Seeking to promote nature-based sustainable development, Canoas, RS, developed its Ecosystem Services Diagnosis between July 2022 and March 2023. Conducted in partnership with ICLEI, the Diagnosis consists of an assessment that provides decision-makers with a clear and accessible tool to promote the integration of nature into urban planning. Using a participatory methodology, with data collection aligned and validated by the municipality's technical staff and managers, the data obtained on the supply of Ecosystem Services, as well as the threats present in the municipality, are synthesized in the Illustrated Map of Ecosystem Services of Canoas.

Illustrating the results is an excellent tool for communicating and raising awareness about the benefits of nature. Understanding the ecosystem services provided in the territory encourages greater engagement and support from the local community. The population can value and give visibility to actions carried out for the benefit and protection of nature in cities, such as the conservation of squares, linear parks, and even urban afforestation, as well as exert pressure for their implementation or expansion. Thus, the actions of the city government can be enhanced and scaled up across the territory.

The current context of climate emergency and biodiversity loss generates continuous and increasingly significant challenges for local governments. The situation is no different in Rio Grande do Sul: the consequences of climate change e loss of biodiversity These crises are already generating significant impacts on natural, agricultural, and urban systems. Within this context, the municipality of Canoas is also threatened by the negative effects of these combined crises. At the same time, the area possesses significant ecological relevance, with a variety of natural spaces and the occurrence of typical fauna and flora that, however, are generally found in the surroundings of the urban fabric. Even so, despite this threat, this richness and Biological diversity provides numerous benefits. for the city and the population.

The concept of Ecosystem Services (ES) refers to the benefits, in the form of goods and services, that people obtain from ecosystems, that is, the different ways in which we depend on nature. Human actions impact the conditions of ecosystems and, consequently, the supply of ecosystem services. Local governments are particularly important. to promote sustainable, equitable and nature-based development.