Soils role in conserving biodiversity

Soil performs a multitude of environmental, economic, social and cultural functions and thus plays a vital role in conserving biodiversity and supporting global environmental systems. It is a living system and once destroyed it is lost forever. Erosion, contamination, decline of organic matter content, sealing due to factors such as housing and infrastructure, landslides and flooding all contribute to the degradation of a resource that is fundamental to our survival. The European Commission has therefore created the first Soil Atlas of Europe, designed to describe and explain the threats to our soil, and raise awareness of its diversity and its importance to our lives. The Atlas will contribute to future actions to protect Europe’s soil, such as a proposal for a Thematic Strategy on soil protection, scheduled to be put forward by the Commission before the end of 2005.

Janez Potocnik and Stavros Dimas, European Commissioners for Science and Research and Environment launched the Soil Atlas at the European Parliament during the Info Days on the activities of the Commission’s DG Joint Research Centre. Commissioner Potocnik said: “We definitely undervalue the contribution of soil to our bio-diversity, but unless we protect it better, we will soon realise its importance in the worst possible way – by seeing the problems caused by its loss. Tools such as this Soil Atlas are an invaluable aid for policy-makers when considering measures to protect our soil, and for the general public, in raising awareness of its importance.” Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas added: “European soil is an immensely valuable but finite resource, which requires protection to ensure future food security and environmental quality”.

Why does soil need protection? It is a natural living system, crucial to human activities as well as ecological functions. It forms over very long periods of time and once destroyed, for instance by pollution, intensive urbanisation or inadequate agricultural and forestry practices, it is effectively lost to present and future generations.

It is in this context that the Commission has coordinated the creation of the first “Soil Atlas of Europe” by bringing together expert scientists from soil institutes in over 40 countries, all of them represented in the European Soil Bureau Network. The Atlas consists of high quality soil maps and easy to understand texts supported by unique photographs. It is based on the European Soil Information System developed by the Commission covering the whole European Union and bordering countries.

The Atlas attempts to illustrate the complex inter-linkages between soil degradation processes and threats to human health and security by describing and mapping major soil functions. The Atlas also discusses the principal threats to soil across Europe.

Europe is favoured with highly productive agricultural soil but the continent also has vast natural and semi-natural lands, in which soil plays a vital role by conserving biodiversity and supporting global environmental systems. To date, an explicit European Soil Policy has not been defined but a Thematic Strategy on Soil protection, which will include a Soil Framework Directive, is scheduled by the end of 2005.