​​

Academic Papers & Books​​

International trade exacerbates global soil-phosphorus imbalances, increasing phosphorus deficits particularly in developing regions, a new study finds. This heightens the risk of phosphorus depletion and makes food security even more precarious than before. 

 

How can soil research engage with diverse participants, values and knowledges? That is the focus of this paper on Soilsafe Aotearoa, a citizen science project seeking to foster a dialogue on diverse soil values and meanings.

 

This article builds on latest soil policy developments to explore how the bi-cultural model approach deployed in Aotearoa New Zealand enable the incorporation of a plurality of values of soil.

 

As European Union is discussing the Soil Monitoring Law proposal, one major issue is the definition of homogeneous soil districts for territorial governance. This Nature Correspondence defends the concept of soilscape as a basis for soil district definition.

 

A recent research paper outlines Pattern-Process-Service-Sustainability framework to better articulate land degradation and ecosystem restoration in spatial planning for achieving land degradation neutrality. 

​

Is there a shared understanding of key soil related concepts emerging in the scientific community, and the wider public? Check out these interesting results.

​​

​

Oldies but Goodies

How can we probe into the invisible, hidden, but often dangerous past of soils and land in the urban context? Sites Unseen from 2018 offers fantastic case studies.​​

​

​

Soil Art

Plant People: An Anthology of Environmental Artists Vol. 4. is an anthology that honors the sacred bond between humans and plants. Our contributors are a diverse group of poets, prose writers, and visual artists from around the globe—each sharing their unique perspectives and relationships with the plants they live among. Read the full issue online here!

​

 

Soils in the news

The amount of carbon absorbed in land collapsed in 2023, pointing at the fragility of ecosystems that have been assumed to function as carbon sinks, as well as the limitations of existing climate models. In Finland, forests and peatlands are absorbing less and less carbon, turning the land sector from a sink to a source of emissions and making net zero much harder to achieve.

​​​

​​

Policy​​

The European Environment Agency and European Commission Joint research Center just released the second edition of the State of Soils in Europe report, providing a comprehensive synthesis of available knowledge and data on the regional drivers of soil health change, trends in soil degradation, and additional insights on soil monitoring framework developments, citizen science, and soil governance and policy.

 

EU Soil Monitoring Law has just entering trialogue (with the Commission and the Council) after the first reading and decision of the European Parliament and Council following the Commission proposals. It will be the last phase before final adoption.

​

EU Soil Observatory just held its 4th Stakeholders Forum. On its third day, the last session was dedicated to Soil Literacy and Soil Sciences & Arts. Presentations and recordings will be made available.

 

The 2nd Young Soil Researchers Forum offered the opportunity fo 65 emerging scholars to present and discuss their research around 6 topics : erosion, data, carbon, pollution, biodiversity nutrients. A dedicated special issue in the European Journal of Soil Science will follow in November.

​

​

Events

British Society of Soil Science conference, Cardiff - 4-6th December 2024. More information and registration here.

2024 ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting: AI Innovations for a Changing Climate takes place November 10-13 in San Antonio, Texas, USA. You can register for view the program here.

​

​

​