1. SOILPRO: a LIFE+ project implementing soil monitoring and protection together with regional stakeholders of Sicily and Peloponnese Costantini E.A.C. 1, Bucelli P. 1, Fantappi è M. 1, Guaitoli F. 2, Kalliris P. 3, Kyriakopoulos K. 4, Matranga M.G. 2, Papadopoulos T. 4, Pellegrini S. 1, Vasilakis E. 4, Vignozzi N. 1 1 CRA-ABP, Research Centre for Agrobiology and Pedology, Firenze, Italy; 2 Regione Siciliana, Assessorato per le Risorse Agricole e Alimentari, Palermo. Italy; 3 Region of Peloponnesos, Tripoli, Greece; 4 EKPA, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece.

2. AIM The SOILPRO project has the general objective of monitoring soil degradation in line with the Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection.

3. Others important aims Dissemination (video, newsletters, guidelines, e-learning….) Awareness-raising campaign about soil conservation and CC (conferences, questionnaires, hand-books,....) Training of personnel for the SMS (potential users) Planning regional soil protection measures (elaboration and implementation)

4. Methods approaching environmental problems Conventional approachInnovative approach

5. Soilpro will develop a web-based application tool (Soil Monitoring Software, SMS) that can support regional authorities to identify and assess areas at risk of soil degradation, in order to implement soil protection measures as well as to monitor their effectiveness

6. Soil degradation systems 1. Water erosion 2. Organic matter decline 3. Compaction 4. Salinization 5. Landslides 6. Acidification

7. Structure of the SMS Sicily Other sources Peloponnesus Data source Field data Pre-processing Geostatistics Models for: Risk Area Identification Scenario and impact analysis Monitoring design SMS SOILPRO database Maps Web site Web GIS

8. Web portal: www.soilpro.euwww.soilpro.eu

9. Soilpro in action: planning environmental measures

10. Burned forest lands in Arcadia and Argolide

11. The rising of the agricultural frontier

12. Abandoned olive groves in degraded, not suitable lands

13. Fragile, shallow soils on terraces in the inland of Koronaki (Messinia)

14. Abandoned terraces with landslides in the Messina province (Sicily)

15. Region Sicily: proposed measure 214/1G “contrasting hydrogeological instability and recovery of traditional agricultural landscape” Actions: Maintenance and recovery of terraces and ditches to enhance water infiltration and reduce runoff and soil erosion Plantation and pruning of local tree species and bushes, also of not agricultural interest, to reduce the risk of fire Maintenance of grass cover in orchards, without the use of herbicide Interdiction of burning crop residues, chopping and spreading on the ground encouraged

16. Delimitation of the eligible areas for the application of the measure Map overlay:  Area of interest: set of Mucipalities with High soil erosion risk High proportion of orchards Many terraced areas

17. Area of interest and soil erosion risk

18. Area of interest and orchards

19. Area of interest and terraced areas

20. Guideline for the choice of native species: map of reaction (pH)