'Huge' mandate for worldwide soil biodiversity analysis
Biodiversity is under pressure throughout the world, but how much do we know about the worldwide state of that most vital of resources: the soil? Nowhere near enough, concluded delegates from 190 countries at the UN biodiversity conference in Egypt. NIOO soil ecologists Wim van der Putten and Kelly Ramirez applaud the "huge" mandate agreed by the conference to tackle the lack of knowledge.
At the COP14 meeting in the Egyptian resort of Sharm-el-Sheikh, all forms of biodiversity and their decline were discussed. It was the 14th such meeting since the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was adopted in 1992.
Soil biodiversity has been included in the CBD since a cross-cutting initiative was adopted in 2006. In 2011, the Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative was established. That initiative has been an important advocate of a global soil biodiversity assessment.
The soil, said Wim van der Putten in an interview on Dutch radio, is after all the foundation for aboveground biodiversity: "Plants, insects, birds and us humans: to live healthy lives, we need a healthy soil".
The list of draft decisions delegates in Egypt could vote on included a statement of appreciation for the Global Soil Biodiversity Atlas, which was published in 2016 with both Wim van der Putten and his NIOO-colleague Kelly Ramirez among its authors.
Even more significantly, the delegates also called on the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, together with other organisations, to carry out a global soil biodiversity assessment. "That is a very big step", says Van der Putten.
Soil is the nexus
Kelly Ramirez agrees. She was a keynote speaker at 'Soil is the Nexus': a special event in the periphery of the main talks, highlighting the importance of soil as a link between the CBD, the UN climate convention CCC (which delegates are currently discussing in the Polish city of Poznan) and its convention to combat desertification (CCD).
"As the keynote speaker to this session, I presented on the role and importance of soil biodiversity for the ‘nexus’", says Ramirez. "I pointed to my own study in Central Park, NYC where we found more than 150,000 types of soil taxa. This finding of extreme biodiversity was not unique to Central Park or urban soils, but rather it demonstrates the breadth of biodiversity in all soils."
According to Ramirez, the decisions adopted by the conference form "the first officially adopted mandate for a global soil biodiversity assessment, which will be highly relevant for including soil biodiversity in decision making and addressing the sustainability challenges of our society. As a scientist, it is my responsibility to make my results and data accessible, and to identify practical solutions for use in the management and policy. It is also my responsibility to translate results for public engagement."
One of the great things about soil biodiversity in that respect is that "anyone with a patch of soil can enjoy and explore", she adds. "What better way to engage new biologists or garner appreciation for nature than discovering soil organisms in your own backyard?"
Starting point for a solution
In fact, says Wim van der Putten, the Netherlands is already doing quite well when it comes to knowledge about soils. "Take for instance the Centre for Soil Ecology in Wageningen, or our own Soil Animal Days, which really put us at the forefront."
Then again, actual soil management practices "still leave a lot to be desired" in the Netherlands, too. A report on global soil biodiversity ould be a valuable step towards changing this.
"More awareness is the starting point for finding a solution. FAO with relevant parties will compile a worldwide report on the state of soil biodiversity as soon as possible, and in the medium-term future the report will prompt proposals for identifying the most serious problems and what direction to take when looking for solutions. That's when it's time to take action."
The next milestone coming up, according to Van der Putten, will be the fifteenth biodiversity conference, in Beijing in 2020, where the convention's current goals will be reviewed. "The Beijing conference will sketch out the broad outlines for the next thirty years. COP14 has helped to pave the way for this."
(Photograph: Towards INMS/Twitter)
