1. Land use and soil management in Estonia – past and current status
Alar Astover
21 May 2015

2. Soil degradation and protection
Land use changes
Soil management
Soil degradation and protection
21 May 2015

3. Global land use changes in 800…1992
21 May 2015

4. Changes in agricultural land in Estonia
Allikad: erinevad kirjanduse allikad, Statistikaamet ja PRIA (2013 a)
* Estimation
21 May 2015

5. Proportion of agricultural land 2010
Eestist esitab Eurostati andmed Statistikaamet.
Data source: Eurostat
21 May 2015

6. Arable land per capita in 2010
Eestist esitab Eurostati andmed Statistikaamet.
Data source: Eurostat
21 May 2015

7. There was huge regional differences of changes in agricultural land use in 1990s
21 May 2015

8. Regional differences of changes in land use are caused beside socio-economic alteration by pedo-climatic conditions
In Estonia quality of arable soils (on 100-point scale) is spatially extremly variable.
21 May 2015

9. Decrease of arable land in 1990s depending on the soil quality
Agricultural land use has declined most of all in the rural municipalities located in the regions with low fertility soils.
21 May 2015

10. Pressure on soils is increasing:
Soils are “non-renewable”, changing in time and space, and with limited quantity
Pressure on soils is increasing:
Food
Feed
Fuel (bioenergy)
Fibre
Fun
but not only… soil has more to do
21 May 2015

11. Multi-functionality of soils
Ecological functions
Biomass productivity (food-feed-fibre-fuel-fun-finance)
Environmental interaction: storage, filtering, buffering, transformation of water, gases, minerals/nutrients, energy
Biodiversity
Socio-economic functions
Source of raw materials
Physical and cultural heritage
Platform for man-made structures
Modified after W. Blum
21 May 2015

12. Soil quality and degradation
Soil quality is an account of the ability of soil to provide ecosystem and society services through its capacities to perform its functions and respond to external influences (threats) (Toth et al 2007).
Soil degradation can be defined as a decline in soil quality
Changes in soil quality can be fast (runoff by erosion), but often very slow and difficult to reveal
Historic experience – reaction after degradation, pro-active policy has been rare
21 May 2015

13. Main soil degradation processes in Europe:
erosion,
decline in organic matter,
local and diffuse contamination,
sealing,
compaction,
decline in biodiversity,
salinisation,
floods and landslides
In Estonia also…
Acidification, drainage status, soil nutrient „mining“
EU Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection (2006)
21 May 2015

14. Legislation Specific soil protection legislation is missing
Local awareness is rather low
Responsibility is dispersed in state government
EU „dependency“
Currently positive changes from Ministry of Agriculture
Process of defining „valuable agricultural land“ and saving it from soil sealing
Optional agri-environmental subsidy to avoid excessive tillage of eroded soils and peat soils
21 May 2015

15. Loss of peat soils in arable land
According to Estonian legacy soil map (scale 1:10,000, mapped in period 1960–1980) about 10% of utilized agricultural land is covered with peat soils
Recent pilot study (Penu et al 2014) showed that up to 25–30% of agriculturally utilized peat soils has been for nowadays actually mineralized…
21 May 2015

16. Soil of the Year 2015 in Estonia is limestone rendzina
Alar Astover, professor Head of department Estonian University of Life Sciences, Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Department of Soil Science and Agrochemistry Estonian Soil Science Society
21 May 2015