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

<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>

Bridging Mediterranean cultures in the International Year of Soils 2015: a documentary exhibition on irrigation techniques in water scarcity conditions

The paper presents the activity performed at the University of Brescia by students and researchers, belonging to different Mediterranean cultures and different disciplines, to prepare a documentary exhibition on irrigation techniques in water scarcity conditions, on the occasion of the International Year of Soils 2015. Traditional irrigation techniques were identified as a key aspect of soil conservation and agricultural practices, to build living and autopoietic ecosystems, also in adverse climatic conditions, and to adapt to climatic changes. Being a structural source of ecosystem survival, and being based on long-lasting observation of the climate and of the environment, they have deep roots in local cultures and they were identified as a common ground also for multicultural interaction. The core of the exhibition is structured in sections focused on techniques for collecting groundwater, atmospheric humidity and surface water, on water lifting techniques and on water distributive systems. The final section of the exhibition is devoted to the oases which are presented as an equilibrium ecosystem, established upon the alliance between man and nature and founded on the capability of collecting water.

ADDRESSING SOIL HEALTH MANAGEMENT ISSUES IN INDIA

World has been observing 5th December since 2012 as the World Soil Day to ensure maintenance of soil health, This was complimented by the United Nations’ General Assembly declaring 2015, as the International Year of Soils to create awareness among all stakeholders and promote more sustainable use of soil being the critical resource. On this occasion, UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon had said that without healthy soils life on Earth would be unsustainable. Indeed, soils are the foundation of agriculture. He had urged all Governments to pledge to do more to protect this important yet forgotten resource. A healthy life is not possible without healthy soils. According to the Director General of the FAO, Jose Graziano da Silva, today, world has more than 805 million people facing hunger and malnutrition. Soils are under increased pressure because population growth will require an approximately increase of 60 per cent in food output and competing land uses.Unfortunately, 33 per cent of our global soil resources are under degradation and human pressures on soils are reaching critical limits, reducing and sometimes eliminating essential soil functions. He had emphasised the role of all stakeholders in promoting the cause of soils as it is important for paving the road towards a real sustainable development for all and by all. Against this background, this article briefly highlights the significance and aspects of soil health management in India and suggests aspects of strategic action plan to conserve this precious resource for the benefit of mankind.

Biogeochemical cycles and biodiversity as key drivers of ecosystem services provided by soils

Soils play a pivotal role in major global biogeochemical cycles (carbon, nutrient, and water), while hosting the largest diversity of organisms on land. Because of this, soils deliver fundamental ecosystem services, and management to change a soil process in support of one ecosystem service can either provide co-benefits to other services or result in trade-offs. In this critical review, we report the state-of-the-art understanding concerning the biogeochemical cycles and biodiversity in soil, and relate these to the provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural ecosystem services which they underpin. We then outline key knowledge gaps and research challenges, before providing recommendations for management activities to support the continued delivery of ecosystem services from soils. We conclude that, although soils are complex, there are still knowledge gaps, and fundamental research is still needed to better understand the relationships between different facets of soils and the array of ecosystem services they underpin, enough is known to implement best practices now. There is a tendency among soil scientists to dwell on the complexity and knowledge gaps rather than to focus on what we do know and how this knowledge can be put to use to improve the delivery of ecosystem services. A significant challenge is to find effective ways to share knowledge with soil managers and policy makers so that best management can be implemented. A key element of this knowledge exchange must be to raise awareness of the ecosystems services underpinned by soils and thus the natural capital they provide. We know enough to start moving in the right direction while we conduct research to fill in our knowledge gaps. The lasting legacy of the International Year of Soils in 2015 should be for soil scientists to work together with policy makers and land managers to put soils at the centre of environmental policy making and land management decisions.

Land degradation neutrality under the SDGs: National and international implementation of the land degradation neutral world target

On World Soil Day, December 5, 2013, the UN General Assembly announced that 2015 marked the ‘International Year of Soils’. This announcement aimed to promote the protection of soil and increase awareness and understanding of its importance. It seems that soil is now, after decades defined by a lack of attention and awareness, finally receiving a greater degree of the much-needed consideration. Examples of this development include the establishment of the Global Soil Partnership (2012), the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (2013), the ‘Economics of Land Degradation’ publication (2013) and the annual organisation of the Global Soil Week (as of 2012). This article explores how the current momentum in international soil policy can be used to promote sustainable land use and reduce land degradation, particularly through the SDG process and using UN Conventions. It puts a special emphasis on the opportunities and challenges of the concept of “land degradation neutrality”. Firstly, this article addresses the background on the pressing issue of land degradation. Secondly, it deals with the adopted SDGs and the inclusion of a target for land degradation neutrality. Thirdly, national implementation of the SDGs are addressed including the need for countries to analyse their legislation and policies to determine whether they support land degradation neutrality. International conventions may direct more action toward and potentially increase the consistency and effectiveness of measures to accomplish the SDG targets, posing another avenue which could contribute to the achievement of land degradation neutrality. Particular emphasis is given to the UNCCD and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) as the theoretically most appropriate conventions which may further the accomplishment of land degradation neutrality by adoption of stronger land-related obligations. Based on the preceding discussion, the paper concludes with issues, concerns and suggestions for the future to strive for land degradation neutrality.