Soil is much more than just the earth beneath our feet. Our soils have many different functions and uses that are essential to the world as we know it. However, we need to protect our soils to ensure the sustainable future of our planet. The British Society of Soil Science highlight the importance of soil and why we must protect and restore our soils.
It is well known that around 95% of the food we eat comes from soil, meaning that this substance that we all take for granted is essential to our health and the health of the planet. Soil can store significant amounts of rainfall and engineers can use local soils to assess and control flooding risk.
It is estimated that there are 15 gigatonnes of carbon in the world's soil; three times more than in all vegetation and forests! Deforestation, global warming and poor agricultural practices can lead to the release of soil carbon into the atmosphere, and in turn speeds up the climate warming process.
Soils that are in good and healthy condition, are biodiverse, not sealed, crusted or compacted, can store more carbon, absorb water like a sponge, improve water quality and reduce runoff from cropland. In these soils, water is held for longer, before seeping downwards having been purified, contributing to groundwater formation. Sustaining life in soil is essential to ensure soil health, which supports our ability to grow food and farm effectively.
In addition to food production, many parts of the world use soil, particularly clay, as a building material. Soil is also used to process waste: sewage sludge and slurry from intensive livestock production are spread on and ploughed into soils, which can render the previously harmful material harmless, and even productive. Soil caps are also used to restore contaminated and derelict areas left by industry and mining; covering, absorbing and mitigating effects of contaminants and revegetating sites.
However, if our soil is not managed, maintained or used sustainably, we will not be able to produce enough food or get the nutrients that we need. Poor soil management, such as soil compaction which can come from poor agricultural soil management, can lead to unexpected flooding. World soil health is under pressure from several threats including erosion, loss of soil organic carbon and biodiversity, pollution, and salinisation. Soil nutrient loss is a major soil degradation process threatening nutrition and is recognised as being among the most important problems at a global level for food security and sustainability. With unprecedented and growing demands for food, water and energy, there is an urgent need to address the challenges of climate change and land degradation, whilst protecting soil as a natural resource.
Soil holds the key to our planet’s past and future and is the answer to our food, water and energy security, mitigating and adapting to climate change, the safeguarding of biodiversity,
and the protection of human health. Many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals cannot be achieved without healthy soils, sustainable land use and strong policy. This is something that the British Society of Soil Science seek to promote in order to to keep soils high on the agenda.
The British Society of Soil Science (BSSS) is an established international membership organisation committed to the study of soil in its widest aspects. The society brings together those working within academia, practitioners implementing soil science in industry and all those working with, or with an interest in soils. Research on soils and enhanced understanding and engagement with soils is essential for agricultural, landscaping, construction, remediation, conservation and archaeological projects, as well as policy direction on critical topics such as climate change. Our members are employed by both private and public sector institutions including academic universities, conservation charities, construction companies and agri-environmental consultancies. We promote research and education, both academically and in practice, and build collaborative partnerships to help safeguard our soil for the future.
Part of our strategy is to educate and inspire those working in soils and also the next generation of soil scientists through knowledge exchange and engagement. We ensure high standards of professional practice for those working with soils through our own training courses, under the banner of Working with Soils. We educate our members and supporters through our webinars and podcast. In one of our previous webinars, we discussed 'Soils critical to brownfields first: Soil Health in the context of Land Remediation.' Christine House, Director of House Associates, and Claire Dickinson, a contaminated land specialist, explored effective soil use and management in the context of brownfield sites and construction. To watch the webinar, click here.
Our next Zoom into Soil webinar will be led by BSSS Corporate Member, Arcadis, and also Lancaster University as they discuss soils in planning and construction. Our webinars are free of charge to attend so if you would like to register for the webinar, click here. By providing educational resources and knowledge, we aim to support professionals in all industries in understanding the importance and functionality of our soils, so that they can make informed decisions to influence policy and action. We must focus on maintaining and restoring our soils, finding solutions to meet environmental targets, achieving climate neutrality, zero pollution, sustainable food provision and a resilient and biodiverse environment. We need to come together, create knowledge, share experiences, shape agendas and find workable solutions to conserve our soils. It is time we take a ‘ground up’ approach to protect our most valuable resource, that supports life on Earth; our soil.
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