THE SOIL THEMATIC STRATEGY RESEARCH ASPECTS
Transcript of THE SOIL THEMATIC STRATEGY RESEARCH ASPECTS
EUROSOIL, Wien - Soil Research Workshop - 27 August 2008
THE SOIL THEMATIC STRATEGYRESEARCH ASPECTS
Niek de WitEuropean Commission
DG Environment- Unit Agriculture, forests and soil
EUROSOIL, Wien - Soil Research Workshop - 27 August 2008
v Adopted by the Commission in September 2006v Contains the objective of EU soil policy: the protection of
soil functions across the EUv Sets out the four pillars of EU soil policyv Indicates the next steps at EU level, e.g. research
THE THEMATIC STRATEGY FOR SOIL PROTECTION
EUROSOIL, Wien - Soil Research Workshop - 27 August 2008
v Soil is a practically non-renewable natural resourcev Soil performs crucial functions for human activities and
ecosystems survivalv Soils are increasingly degrading or irreversibly lost across the
EU => the Community acquis is manifestly not sufficientv Costs of soil degradation are very high and are mainly borne
by society and not by the land usersv Commitment in the 6th EAP to adopt a Thematic Strategy on
soil protectionv To allow for a leading EU role in global challenges and drivers
for soil protection: CBD, UNFCCC, UNCCDv EU action is already inspiring other countries (e.g. US Senate
Resolution)
WHY A THEMATIC STRATEGY ON SOIL?
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CONTENT OF THETHEMATIC STRATEGY
vCommunication
v Proposal for a Soil Framework Directive
vImpact Assessment
EUROSOIL, Wien - Soil Research Workshop - 27 August 2008
v All types of soils are consideredv All soil degradation processes are tackled
(however soil biodiversity loss -> more RTD)v Soil functions are at the core of the proposalv Soils should be used and not put under a glass coverv The Directive will bring about an improvement
compared to existing practices and national legislationv Emphasis on knowledge and monitoring prior to
taking measures to avoid squandering money and resources
THE BASES OF THE PROPOSAL
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Protection of soil - the preservation of SOIL FUNCTIONS:(a) biomass production, incl. agriculture & forestry;
(b) storing, filtering, transforming nutrients, substances, water;
(c) biodiversity pool, habitats, species and genes;
(d) physical and cultural environment for humansand human activities;
(e) source of raw materials;
(f) acting as carbon pool;
(g) archive of geological and archaeological heritageMeasures for the prevention and restoration of degraded soils
OBJECTIVES
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STRUCTURE OF THE DIRECTIVE
OBJECTIVE: Protection soil functions-Art. 1
• Integration in sectoral policies-Art. 3
• Precautionary measures-Art. 4
• Prevention of contamination-Art. 9
• Measures to limit or mitigate sealing-Art. 5
• Identification of risk areas for erosion, organic matter decline, compaction, salinisation, landslides-5 years-Articles 6, 7
• Identification of contaminated sites - 25 years- Artt. 10, 11, 12
• Programmes of Measures-Art. 8
• National Remediation Strategy-Artt. 13, 14
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v CommunicationCOM(2006)231
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LEGISLATIONProposal for a Soil Framework Directive COM(2006)232
RESEARCH
INTEGRATIONOF SOIL PROTECTION ASPECTS
AWARENESS RAISING
FOUR PILLARS OFEU SOIL POLICY
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vprocesses underlying soil functions (e.g. soil’s role in climate change and in the protection of biodiversity) vthe spatial and temporal variability in these processes vecological, economic and social drivers for soil
degradationvthe factors influencing the ecological functions of soil vStrategies and technologies for the protection and
restoration of the soils.
These priorities will be part of the 7th Research Framework Programme (2007-2013) in the areas ‘Environment’ and ‘Food, Agriculture and biotechnology’
RESEARCH PRIORITIES
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COM (2006)231: “Not enough is known about soil biodiversity. This will be addressed with a view to gaining a better understanding of the function of biodiversity as an environmental service. ”
RESEARCH PRIORITIES - SOIL BIODIVERSITY
Some aspects to study:v the impacts on soil biodiversity of: Ø the various soil management and land use practicesØ the effects of climate change (and vice versa),Ø the presence of contaminants; Interaction between soil
biodiversity, soil use and soil pollution (risk assessment)
v development of: ØComparable, standardized methods for the
characterisation of soil biodiversityØDefinition of biological indicator of soil quality/health
and subsequent development of a monitoring systemØBiodiversity based soil management strategies
RESEARCH PRIORITIES -SOIL BIODIVERSITY (2)
Other aspects of the strategy that would profit from targeted research activities:
vbetter understanding of the role of soil in GHG cycles
vmeasurable methods and techniques for soils as carbon sinks
vmeasures to prevent soil degradation processes
vmeasures to prevent soil contamination
vbuilding techniques to limit sealing and favour brownfieldredevelopment
OTHER RESEARCH PRIORITIES
vmodelling for the identification of risk areas
vmethodologies for the establishment of risk acceptability criteria
vmethodologies for the identification of contaminated sites
vcheap and reliable techniques for soil remediation
v improvement of the research Infrastructure: exchange of best practices and EU-wide analyses of best practices to define (and organise) research needs
OTHER RESEARCH PRIORITIES (2)
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v Inability to adequately perform multidisciplinary research.v Lack of basic soil information in major areas of the EU; Large and often
unknown variability in the quality of available soil datav inability to express soil functions in social and financial terms. v Improve “branding” soil science; present “success stories”. v unable to define the carbon cycle in soils and landscapesv unable to answer societal questions for the EU area, e.g. how much C is lost
each year by erosion, how much fertile soils are lost or degraded, how much biofuels can potentially be produced, etc.
v Our knowledge on soil is fragmented along disciplinary lines; too much focus on static properties rather than on dynamic processes.
v The lack of common indicators and evaluation procedures leads to a highly confusing array of recommendations.
v We appear to ignore education as we focus on research.
RESEARCH PRIORITIES –EXPERTS’ VIEWS
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RESEARCH FRAMEWORK (1)
landscape
3-layer model 1a land and water dynamics1b ecology2 roads, railways, canals3 settlements
7 soil functions 1.production food and biomass2.storing, filtering, transformation3.habitat, genepool4.physical&cultural environment5.source of raw materials6.carbon pool7.archive geological and
archeological heritage
STATE (S)
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RESEARCH FRAMEWORK (2)
DPSIR-System:Spa Spr
past present
D+P=I+R=
Future(s)
Sf1,2..n
Scenarios:R=D+P=I=
1
2
nD=DriversP=PressuresI = ImpactR=ResponseS=State
Decision making
cost/benefitanalysis
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v Translate the improved soil knowledge into developing and implementing:Ø soil management strategies to sustainably use and
protect soil functions; Ø Strategies to support the implementation of the Soil
Framework DirectiveØ strategies to contribute to halt biodiversity loss by
2010;Ø strategies to contribute to climate change
mitigation/adaptationv Development and establishment of a related, adequate soil
monitoring systemv Feed into the discussions in the international arena
(UNCCD, CBD and Kyoto)
POLICY AIMS OF THIS RESEARCH
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http://ec.europa.eu/environment/soil/index.htm
Thank you for your attention!
EUROSOIL, Wien - Soil Research Workshop - 27 August 2008
v Soil biodiversity is a relatively new field of research
v Quantification of soil biodiversity is difficult
v Current knowledge fails to establish for their different species:
Ø their functions
Ø their ability to respond to environmental pressures
Ø their interactions with one another
Ø their spatial distributions throughout the soil matrix
Barriers in the implementation of
knowledge -1-
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vSuch complexity renders monitoring expensive and resource consuming
vDissemination of knowledge on soil biodiversity to many other areas of research is inadequate and insufficient
vThe links with other research communities(such as soil science, hydrology) should be strengthened Back
Barriers in the implementation of
knowledge -2-