How to give visibility to soil: attractive and innovative educational initiatives of Spanish Society of SoilScience (SECS)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Montserrat Díaz-Raviña ◽  
Maria Teresa Barral-Silva ◽  
Manuel Arias-Estévez ◽  
Jorge Mataix-Solera
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resource ◽  
National Research Council ◽  
Renewable Resource ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Living System ◽  
Soil Science ◽  
Spanish Society ◽  
Santiago De Compostela ◽  
International Year Of Soils ◽  
Renewable Natural Resource

<p>The Spanish Society of Soil Science (www.secs.com.es, SECS) was founded in 1947 by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) with the main objective of promoting the study and knowledge of Soil Science. To achieve the slogan of  2015 International Year of Soils, Healthy soils for a healthy life, taking into account our long experience working with the concept of soil as a living system, we planned several projects and activities to promote the knowledge of this living and non-renewable natural resource among the different sectors of the society. Educational programs and cooperation agreements with different Educational Centers and the Administration as well as collaboration with Universities, Ecology and Nature Associations, National and International Parks, Museums and others Institutions related with the conservation of terrestrial ecosystems, were established in order to get them involved in the Educational Projects (organization, participation, financing). One critical point in the success of the projects was the elaboration of diverse, innovative educational materials to stimulate, in an attractive way, the knowledge of this non-renewable natural resource among different sectors of society as well as the level of implication of persons involved on the projects.</p><p>In this contribution we will show some examples of these materials and initiatives concerning different aspects of Soil Science which result to be of interest to the general public: the comic Living in the Soil in different languages (Galician, Spanish, English, Italian and Catalan) and its corresponding Lesson Plans; Vivere nel Suolo: Giornata di Legalitá Ambientale;Vivire nel Suolo: Gionarta Mondiale del Suolo; Would life on the planet be possible without the soil?; Nature in the family; The game of soil; The elaboration of an Artificial Reproduction of a Soil Pedion and its inclusion in different centers related to soil; the creation of a Permanent Soil Room in the Museum of Natural History of Santiago de Compostela University (MHN); temporal exhibition Soil:Art Painting with soils; Pictures of José Caballo; group visits to the MHN and hence to the Permanent Soil Room; Soil Courses and Conferences; participation in Competitions. Our experience indicates that the inclusion of these innovative and attractive materials is very useful in the planning of activities related to soil to give visibility to this non-renewable resource hidden under the vegetation, the soil. We consider that these successful initiatives can be used as a prototype to transmit the message of importance on this natural resource, the soil, and the need of its protection all over the world.</p><p><strong>Acknowlegments. </strong>All persons and organizations that participate in all these SECS activities and projects.</p>

An innovative and attractive comic to transmit the message of soil importance to the Society: Living in the soil

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Montserrat Díaz-Raviña ◽  
Maria Teresa Barral-Silva ◽  
Manuel Arias-Estévez ◽  
Jorge Mataix-Solera
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Renewable Resource ◽  
Soil Science ◽  
Santiago De Compostela ◽  
The Public ◽  
Science City ◽  
Natural Parks ◽  
Raising Awareness ◽  
Spanish Research ◽  
The University

<p>To commemorate the<em> 2015 International Year of Soil</em>, the Spanish Society of Soil Science (SECS-Territorial Delegation of Galicia) and the University of Santiago de Compostela published the comic<em> Living in the soil</em>, with the aim of raising awareness amongst young people the importance of soil and the need to protect it. The initial version<em>, Vivir no solo</em>, published by the Galician Culture Council, was modified and adapted  to the current  specific scenarios of the countries where it was edited, and translated  to Spanish, English and Italian as well as other languages (Galician, Catalan) for broadcasting it both at nationally at international level. In 2018 and 2019, the Spanish, Italian and Catalan versions were re-edited to commemorate the Decade International of Soils 2015-2024. All comic versions, including the English one, were edited in both paper (a total of 80.000 copies) and web format, the latter are available in the SECS web page (www.secs.com.es/publicaciones/).</p><p>Since 2015 up to now, the comic has been successful used in many projects/activities carried out in various institutions (Educational Centers, Natural Parks, Museums, Nature Associations, soil-related Institutions). The soil is a hidden resource very little known to the public. It is under our feet, but we can´t see it because it is covered by vegetation. However, agricultural or forest soil is a living systems, it is the home to a huge diversity of organisms of different sizes that perform important ecological functions and others linked to human activities. The protagonists of the comic are a snail, an earthworm and a mole that inhabit the soil as well as a group of young people who, trying to solve a problem of soil use management that occurs in a little village, show us several important soil aspects (concept, components, functions, threats, degradation, protection and restoration). Events, etc). Some examples of these events are: Science City Project: Living in the soil, 2015, Spanish Research Council  (CSIC), 2015; Would life on the planet be possible without the soil,  SECS, CSIC, 2019; Vivere nel Suolo: Giornata di Legalitá Ambientale; Vivere nel Suolo and Giornata Mondiale  del suolo,  SECS, Italian Society of Soil Science, Parco dei Nebrodi, European Soil Science Conservation, 2018-2019. Considering the success of all these events, it seems that the comic “Living in the soil” has a great potential as an innovative and attractive publication of great interest to disseminate and raise awareness worldwide about the importance of this non-renewable resource for maintaining life on the planet.</p><p><strong> </strong><strong>Acknowlegments. </strong>All persons and organizations that participate in this initiative of the edition (2015) and re-edition (2018, 2019) of the comic in the different languages.<strong>  </strong></p><p> </p>

Effects of Soil Contamination on the Selection of Remediation Method

2015 ◽  
pp. 200-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivica Kisić
Keyword(s):  
Soil Contamination ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Human Activity ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Contaminated Soil ◽  
Natural Activity ◽  
Harmful Substances ◽  
The Many ◽  
Renewable Natural Resource ◽  
Selection Of

Soil is a thin (up to 50cm) loose top layer of the Earth's surface, located between the lithosphere and atmosphere. Total available land area on Earth is limited, and the soil is extremely important, and in one generation it is a non-renewable natural resource. Unfortunately, nowadays the soil is, next to water, one of the most endangered natural resources. Among the many processes of soil damage, which is not being addressed at this point, is the growing importance placed on soil contamination. Contaminated soil is the soil in which human or natural activity has increased the content of harmful substances whose concentrations may be harmful to human activity, that is, for the production of plants or animals.

scholarly journals Optimal Exploitation of a General Renewable Natural Resource under State and Delay Constraints

Mathematics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 2053
Author(s):  
M’hamed Gaïgi ◽  
Idris Kharroubi ◽  
Thomas Lim
Keyword(s):  
Differential Equation ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Market Price ◽  
Programming Approach ◽  
Infinite Time ◽  
Delay Constraints ◽  
Dynamic Programming Approach ◽  
Brownian Process ◽  
Renewable Natural Resource ◽  
The Value Function

In this work, we study an optimization problem arising in the management of a natural resource over an infinite time horizon. The resource is assumed to evolve according to a logistic stochastic differential equation. The manager is allowed to harvest the resource and sell it at a stochastic market price modeled by a geometric Brownian process. We assume that there are delay constraints imposed on the decisions of the manager. More precisely, starting harvesting order and selling order are executed after a delay. By using the dynamic programming approach, we characterize the value function as the unique solution to an original partial differential equation. We complete our study with some numerical illustrations.

Liability of Middleness Revisited: The Advantages for Mid-Sized Competitors in Renewable Natural Resource Industries

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 737-772 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfonso Cruz ◽  
Tomas Reyes ◽  
Roberto Vassolo
Keyword(s):  
Product Differentiation ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Product Line ◽  
Capital Investments ◽  
Market Selection ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Line Scale ◽  
The Us ◽  
Renewable Natural Resource ◽  
Curvilinear Effect

ABSTRACTSize is an important antecedent of firm survival, and several studies theoretically sustain and empirically support a ‘liability of middleness’. Indeed, it is widely believed that companies should act strategically to either become large or remain small and occupy a niche position, because mid-sized firms face the strongest market selection pressures. This study challenges that logic in renewable natural resource industries. Measuring size as product-line scale and firm-level portfolio breadth, we argue that in industries characterized by cost competition, the lack of product differentiation, large capital investments, and sharp price oscillation, scale and breadth have a curvilinear effect on survival that favors mid-sized firms rather than penalizing them. An empirical analysis of the US pulp and paper (P&P) industry over the period 1970–2000 strongly supports our arguments. This study is particularly relevant for emerging economies, in which natural resource industries represent an important portion of the total economic activity.

TECHNOLOGICAL LEADERSHIP AND SUSTAINABLE GROWTH IN A BILATERAL TRADE MODEL

2008 ◽  
Vol 10 (01) ◽  
pp. 73-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
FRANCISCO CABO ◽  
GUIOMAR MARTÍN-HERRÁN ◽  
MARÍA PILAR MARTÍNEZ-GARCÍA
Keyword(s):  
Developing Country ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Bilateral Trade ◽  
Sustainable Growth ◽  
Equilibrium Path ◽  
Point Property ◽  
Trade Model ◽  
Technological Leadership ◽  
State Growth ◽  
Renewable Natural Resource

This paper develops a trade model for a technologically leading country and a developing country that exploits a renewable natural resource. Technology diffuses from the technological leader to the developing country through foreign direct investment (FDI). Alternatively, innovative activities can also be carried out in the developing economy. We prove the existence and uniqueness of an equilibrium path along which both countries grow at the same rate, maintaining the natural-resource stock at a constant level. The saddle-point property for this equilibrium is proved and a sensitivity analysis is carried out. The steady-state growth rate and consumption under both scenarios are compared and the effect of resource abundance analyzed.

scholarly journals Re-animating soils: Transforming human–soil affections through science, culture and community

2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 391-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Puig de la Bellacasa
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resource ◽  
Soil Science ◽  
Science Culture ◽  
Vital Importance ◽  
Human Community ◽  
Human Use ◽  
Current Practices

‘In a sense we are unique moist packages of animated soil’. These are the alluring words of Francis D. Hole, a professor of soil science renowned for encouraging love for the soil and understanding of its vital importance. Affirming humans as being soil entangles them in substantial commonness. This article explores how altering the imaginaries of soils as inert matter subjected to human use and re-animating the life within them is transforming contemporary human–soil affections by developing a sense of shared aliveness. Presenting research on current practices, material involvements and stories emerging from scientific accounts, community involvements and artistic manifestations, I propose five emerging motifs of renewed imaginaries of soil’s aliveness that feed into each other to affirm intimate entanglements of human–soil matter. I argue that while a vision of anthropocenic soils invokes yet another objectified natural resource brought to exhaustion by a deadly human-centred productionist ethos, as soils are re-animated and enlivened, a sense of human–soil entangled and intimate interdependency is intensified. These new involvements with soil’s aliveness open up a sense of earthy connectedness that animates and re-affects material worlds and a sense of more than human community in those involved.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document