1 32nd IGC Florence 2004 Luca Montanarella Policies for a Sustainable Use of the Soil Resource

2 32nd IGC Florence 2004 Food and other biomass production –Agriculture Storage, filtering, and transformation –Water protection Habitat and gene pool –Nature protection Physical and cultural environment for mankind –Archeology and cultural heritage Source of raw materials –Peat, Sand, Clay,etc…. Main functions of soils:

3 32nd IGC Florence 2004 The impact of human activities on soil Blocking of soil functions important to the ecology of the landscape Destruction of soil Gradual destruction of soils Reduction in soil fertility Soil erosion Manures and fertilisers Sewage sludge Gravel extraction Compaction Gradual disappearance of farms Pesticides & herbicides Destruction of soil Changes in the structure of soils Reduction in soil fertility Sealing Distruction of humus Accumulation/ Contamination Heavy metals Contamination of soils and ground water with applied agrochemicals and atmospheric pollutants Changes in soil composition Adverse impacts on living organisms in the soil Acidification Release of toxic substances Acids Diffuse input of contaminants as particulates Persistent substances Salinisation

4 32nd IGC Florence 2004 Policy relevant features of soils:

5 32nd IGC Florence 2004 Policies for a Sustainable Use of the Soil Resource National –USA, Germany, United Kingdom, etc…. Trans-national (regional) –EU Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection Global –UN MEAs: UNFCCC, UNCBD, UNCCD

6 32nd IGC Florence 2004 Bruxelles, le COM(2002) 179 final COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Towards a Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection

7 32nd IGC Florence 2004 Main elements of the proposed strategy Soils are multi-functional (horizontal policy area): –Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) –Water Policy (WFD) –Waste Policy –……………….. Knowledge based –European Soil Information System –Soil Monitoring Directive

8 32nd IGC Florence 2004 Threats to soil as identified in COM(2002) 179 Erosion Decline in organic matter Soil contamination Soil sealing Soil compaction Decline in soil biodiversity Salinisation Floods and landslides

9 32nd IGC Florence 2004 Council June 2002 EESCSeptember 2002 CoRFebruary 2003 EPMay 2003 Opinions of EU Institutions

10 32nd IGC Florence 2004 Participatory approach Soil mailbox: Soil internet site: policies: Soil Soil electronic library and discussion site: CIRCA (june 03)

11 32nd IGC Florence 2004 Soil Policy Development Organisational Set-up 10/10/2002 Advisory Forum Chair DG ENV Stakeholders meetings Chair DG ENV TWG 1 Monitoring Germany/JRC Co-chair UK TWG 2 Erosion Spain/Belgium Co-chair EEB TWG 3 Organic matter France Co-chair IUSS/FEAD TWG 4 Contamination Austria/NL Co-chair EEA ISWG = Interservice Working Group TWG = Technical Working Group Commission ISWG Chair DG ENV Technical co-ordination group and secretariat Chair DG ENV TWG5 Research W. Blum/ RTD Co-chair ELO

12 32nd IGC Florence 2004 COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No. 1782/2003 of 29 September 2003

13 32nd IGC Florence 2004 Brussels, COM(2004) 516 final 2004/0175 (COD). Proposal for a DIRECTIVE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL establishing an infrastructure for spatial information in the Community (INSPIRE)

14 32nd IGC Florence 2004 Architecture & Standards Chair : JRC Ispra Legal Aspects & Data Policy Chair : UK Funding & Implementation structures Chair : SE Common Reference Data & Metadata Chair : ESTAT Impact Analysis Chair : NL Environmental thematic co-ordination Chair: EEA Inter-sectoral co-ordination Chair: ESTAT ….. biodiversity soils seveso urban noise forest water Environmental components Horizontal Components Agricultural components Transport components Other components Technical Co-ordination & Secretariat JRC Ispra - Institute for Environment and Sustainability COGI Chair: ESTAT INSPIRE Expert Group Chair : DG ENV & ESTAT Phase 2: other sectors Other thematic co-ordination Chair: Transport thematic co-ordination Chair: Agricultural thematic co-ordination Chair: Phase 1: Environmental Sector INSPIRE Thematic Components

15 32nd IGC Florence 2004 INSPIRE Implementation

16 32nd IGC Florence 2004 EUROPEAN SOIL BUREAU NETWORK Soil data

17 32nd IGC Florence 2004 European Soil Database: WRB classification

18 32nd IGC Florence 2004 Planned extension of the European Soil Database

19 32nd IGC Florence National Snow and Ice Data Center

20 32nd IGC Florence

21 32nd IGC Florence 2004 Decline in organic matter UNFCCC –Major terrestrial carbon pool UNCBD –Major gene pool UNCCD –Major consequence of desertification

22 32nd IGC Florence 2004 Soils are a source and sink for atmospheric CO 2

23 32nd IGC Florence 2004 M. Robert, 2004

24 32nd IGC Florence 2004 Organic Carbon Content (30cm) Within belts of uniform moisture conditions and comparable vegetation, the average total content of organic matter in soils increases by 2x to 3x for each 10 deg C fall in mean temperature.

25 32nd IGC Florence 2004 Declining soil organic matter in S. Europe 74% of the land in southern Europe has a surface soil horizon (0-30cm) that on average contains less than 2% OC (3.4% OM)

26 32nd IGC Florence 2004

27 32nd IGC Florence 2004 Global soil protection policies: Synergies between the 3 Rio Conventions Soil UNCCDUNCBD UNFCCC