Status of the World’s Soil Resources Report

The societal responses required to achieve sustainable soil management are complex and many-faceted. The implementation of soil management decisions is typically made locally and occurs within widely differing socio-economic contexts. The development of specific measures appropriate for adoption by local decision-makers requires multi-level, interdisciplinary initiatives by many stakeholders – partnerships are therefore essential. In recognition of this, the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) was established by members of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Its Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS) was established at the first Plenary Assembly of the GSP in June 2013. After two years of work, the ITPS is publishing the first ever comprehensive State of the World’s Soil Resources report (SWSR). The goal of the SWSR is to make clear the essential connections between human well-being and the soil. The report provides a benchmark against which the world’s collective progress to conserve this essential resource can be measured. About 200 soil scientists from 60 countries contributed directly to the report. Their assessment has synthesized the scientific knowledge embodied in more than 2,000 peer-reviewed scientific publications. The report provides a global perspective on the current state of the soil, its role in providing ecosystem services, and the threats to its continued contribution to these services. The specific threats to soil function considered in the report are erosion, compaction, acidification, contamination, sealing, salinization, waterlogging, nutrient imbalance (i.e., both nutrient deficiency and nutrient excess), and losses of soil organic carbon and of biodiversity.

BADRAOUI M.;  DOS SANTOS BAPTISTA Isaurinda;  MAMO T.;  YEMEFACK Martin;  SINGH AULAKH M.;  HONG Suk Young;  VIJARNSORN P.;  ZHANG Gan-Lin;  ARROUAYS Dominique;  BLACK Helaina;  SOBOCKA J.;  ALEGRE J.;  HENRIQUEZ C.R.;  TABOADA M.;  ESPINOSA-VICTORIA D.;  ALSHANKITI A.;  ALAVI PANAH S.K.;  AHMED ELSIDDIG El Mustafa El Sheikh;  HEMPEL Jonathan;  CAMPS Marta; 

MONTANARELLA Luca;  CHUDE V.;  YAGI K.;  KRASILNIKOV Pavel;  MENDONCA SANTOS Lourdes;  PENNOCK D.J.;  MCKENZIE Neil J.; 

2016-01-12

FAO

JRC96591

978-92-5-109004-6,   

https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC96591,