Institute for Environment and Sustainability Functions of soils and the threats to soils as identified in the Communication Towards a Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection Luca Montanarella EUROPEAN COMMISSION JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE Institute for Environment and Sustainability

Towards a Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection Bruxelles, le 16.4.2002 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 http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/agriculture/soil_protection.htm

Soil Features

Main functions of soil Food and other biomass production Storage, filtering, and transformation Habitat and gene pool Physical and cultural environment for mankind Source of raw materials

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 The EC communication “Towards a Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection” COM (2002) 179 identifies 8 major threats to soils functionality in Europe: soil erosion, decline in organic matter, soil contamination (both local and diffuse), soil sealing, soil compaction, decline in soil biodiversity, salinisation and floods and landslides. The communication highlights for each of these threats the current status, trend and impact. Throughout the communication the major problem identified is the dramatic lack of policy relevant information on these threats in Europe. Information is generally scarce, fragmented, unreliable and generally not comparable between Member States. A somewhat better situation can be observed in the candidate countries, where a centralised economic system in the past has being actively promoting the collection of detailed soil information for planning purposes. Generally, a huge amount of scientific data have been collected so far by many different institutions in Europe (National soil surveys, Universities, Regional and Local authorities, etc.). While this information is often of high scientific value, it seldomly provides the necessary policy relevant information needed in order to design an effective soil protection strategy in Europe. We are still not capable to tell, for example, how many tonnes per hectare of soil a lost each year by erosion in Europe; what is the current concentration of soil organic carbon and how this concentration is changing over time; how many hectare per year of soil is sealed; etc… Future soil protection policies will only be effective if the extend and the evolution over time of soil degradation is known. Of course, for some of the threats, still basic research is needed in order to gain the necessary understanding of the underlying mechanisms. This is the case for soil biodiversity, where still only very little is known about the different species present in soils, with still many species probably still to be identified.

Current knowledge on the major soil threats is mostly based on estimated data by expert judgement. This is the case for the widely known GLASOD data set compiled in the early nineties by UNEP. This assessment is still the major source of information on soil degradation in Europe, with some updates provided by the European Environment Agency (EEA) and published in 1995. This assessment identifies soil contamination by pesticides, nitrates and phosphates together with water erosion as the major threats to soils in Europe. GLASOD data where also presented in form of maps, showing areas affected to soil degradation. Due to the very small scale of this assessment (1:20,000,000), designed to be a tool to be used for global assessments and not for Regional studies, the areas delineated in Europe are very roughly defined. Precise delineation of areas affected by the different degradation types requires much more detailed basic soil data. Currently the only harmonised European soil database is the 1:1,000,000 scale Soil Geographical Database of Europe compiled over the last 10 years by a large network of co-operating soil science institutions in Europe, known as the European Soil Bureau Network.

EUROPEAN SOIL BUREAU Soil data A network of European Centers of Excellence in Soil Science EUROPEAN RESEARCH AREA Soil data Currently the European Soil Bureau Network includes soil science institutions and national soil surveys in the European Union, the EU candidate countries, EFTA countries and many other bordering countries (Southern Mediterranean countries, Balkan countries and New Independent States). Through effective networking, a successful flow of soil data could be established from the participating institutions to the JRC, acting as the secretariat of the network. The network is currently managed by a steering committee of 7 institutions (INRA, CSIC, BGR, ALTERRA, SSLRC, NJOS, CSES). The best known product of this networking activity has been the European Soil Database at scale 1:1,000,000. EUROPEAN SOIL BUREAU

The European Soil Database is a database, not a map The European Soil Database is a database, not a map. It consists in a relational database defining a geometric data set of Soil Mapping Units (SMU), which represent the actual mapping unit delineated at a scale of 1:1,000,000. Such a relatively small scale can not represent the actual diversity of soil types. Consequently each SMU is a compound unit representing a spatial entity grouping together several soil types. These Soil Typological Units (STU) are organised within each SMU and can be representing variable proportions of the total surface of the SMU. This representativity within each SMU is reported in the table STU.ORG containing the STU’s distribution in each SMU. The relevant soil attributes (physical and chemical properties) are attached to each STU. This allows to extract out of such a system, with the aid of an appropriate GIS software, thematic maps for each of the attributes of the STU’s.

Extension of the European Soil Information System to the Russian Federation and the Mediterranean

Erosion

Decline in organic matter: Implications for the 3 Rio conventions UNFCCC Major terrestrial carbon pool (Kyoto protocol art. 3.4) UNCBD Major gene pool (Soil Biodiversity, COP Decisions III/11, IV/6 and V/5) UNCCD Major consequence of desertification

Organic carbon content of soils in Southern Europe is rapidly declining In 1999, DG Environment asked the ESB for an assessment of the OC content of soils in southern Europe. We looked at the results obtained by applying the Pedotransfer Rule (PTR) to the European Soil Database (see previous slide) but we were unhappy with the overall pattern that emerged for the Mediterranean region. Zdruli and Jones 1999 then estimated the OC content of the SMUs in southern Europe using expert judgement and some new data. The results of this study were then mapped … see above. The results show that the soils of southern Europe contain significantly less OC than indicated by using the standard European PTR. Since soil degradation is a serious concern in southern Europe this result is highly significant. After Zdruli & Jones ESB, JRC Ispra, 1999

Decline in biodiversity The drop of forms of life living in soil, both in quantity and in variety

Contamination The occurrence of contaminants in soils above certain levels: Local (contaminated sites) Diffuse

Background levels of trace elements

Sealing The covering of soil for housing, roads or other infrastructure

Soil sealing

Increase in build-up areas 1975-1990 Source: EEA 2002 Project LACOAST in coastal areas Increase in build-up areas 1975-1990 Source: EEA 2002

Compaction The deterioration of soil structure (loss of soil features) by mechanical pressure

Susceptibility to Subsoil Compaction

Salinisation Accumulation in soils of soluble salts of sodium, magnesium and calcium

Hydrogeological risks Floods and landslides related to soil and land management

Land Management Flood extent Hydrographs at any location LISFLOOD Hydrographs at any location Reservoirs and retention areas can be simulated Inputs Outputs

FAO EU Member States Regions Communes From the Global to the Local Scale EUSIS - A nested soil information system for Europe Different scales give answers to different questions Global assessments World Soil and Terrain Database 1 : 5,000,000 FAO Soil Geographical Database of Europe 1 : 1,000,000 EU 1 : 250,000 Georeferenced Soil Database of Europe Member States Catchment Information System 1 : 50,000 Regions First of all there is a scale issue. Data currently available for all of the European Union are at 1:1,000,000 scale, which may be a scale sufficient for pan-European assessments, but can not be a scale useful for actual policy implementation at National, Regional and Local scale. There we need to build more detailed databases containing information at a more precise scale. The European Soil Information System aims indeed towards the construction of a nested system of soil information allowing for a coherent scale transfer between the European and the more detailed scales at National level. Indeed, during the past years we have on one side tried to improve the information at 1:1,000,000 scale for Europe while providing the necessary technical and scientific framework (guidelines) for the development of more detailed soil databases coherent with the 1:1,000,000 scale information layer. These guidelines are available in the form of a Manual of Procedures titled “Georeferenced Soil Database for Europe” published by the European Communities and available in several languages. Of course these guidelines should be considered only as indicative since the legal framework for soil data collection at more detailed scale is still missing. The European Soil Database at 1:1,000,000 scale is on the other hand the scale of choice for the European Commission and will be one of the data layers to be included European Environmental Spatial Data Infrastructure (EESDI). Globally the information at 1:1,000,000 scale will form the base for deriving the European part of the Soil and Terrain Database (SOTER), coordinated by FAO and due to be completed in the near future. Soil Monitoring Sites 1 : 5000 Communes Spatial planning Precision farming EUROPEAN SOIL BUREAU

The Future: Soil information in space and time Georeferenced Soil Database Soil Monitoring Network 1:250,000 scale Concerning the future, as we have seen, there is an urgent need to improve our knowledge on European soils both in space and in time. This means more accurate and precise soil databases, like the 1:250,000 scale Georeferenced Soil Database for Europe, but, more importantly, our knowledge of the evolution over time of the major soil degradation processes currently present in Europe. In order to gain such a time dimension in our flow of information we need to develop a coherent approach to soil monitoring at EU level. Both information layers, the spatial dimension and the time dimension, should form the future European System of Soil Data as outlined in the soil communication. Such a system should provide reliable and policy relevant soil information in support of the future EU Thematic Strategy on Soil Protection. SPACE TIME European System of Soil Data

National soil surveys Soil inventories Soil monitoring SPACE TIME As mentioned in the soil communication, the future soil information system should be based on existing initiatives in order to avoid duplication of efforts and increase cost effectiveness. At National level extensive soil inventories exist at different scales ranging from the 1:1,000,000 scale down to very detailed scales like 1:5,000. Also most of the EU Member States have a soil monitoring network in place with various site densities and sampling strategies. Only Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece and Ireland lack completely a soil monitoring system. There are consequently many National initiatives that need to be taken into account in the design of the future system of soil data. Of course, lack of harmonisation of analytical methods, sampling strategy and data formats makes these efforts hardly comparable across borders; but with appropriate data transfer procedures, there could be still a wealth of information that could be usefully fed into the process of developing an EU Thematic Strategy on Soil Protection. SPACE TIME

LUCAS (Land Use and Cover Annual Survey) At each sampling unit the surveyor records a quite extensive list of land use and environmental data. Among the data recorded, different types of erosion are observed: gully erosion, rill erosion, etc.. Also relevant for a soil monitoring purpose is the information about natural hazards, like floodings and landslides, listed as one of the major threats in the soil communication.

ICP Forest Soil Monitoring Network One of the best known pan-European soil monitoring initiatives is the forest soil condition survey in the framework of ICP Forest. It started in 1986 and is managed by the Forest Soil Coordinating Centre in Ghent directed by Prof. Eric van Ranst. This programme monitors forest soils on a regular 16 x 16 km grid at two level of intensities: Level I for general monitoring and level two for intensive monitoring. Besides soil parameters a number of other data are collected relevant to the Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution (UN/ECE).

Inventory of existing systems (National and European) Specifications of a European Community information and monitoring system on soil threats Inventory of existing systems (National and European) Proposal for soil monitoring in Europe: Level I: Flexible grid at 16 x 16 km (1:1,000,000 scale) incorporating existing National and European systems Organic matter, Biodiversity, diffuse Contamination Level II: Stratified sub-sample of level I (10%) for benchmarking and intensive monitoring Physical degradation, Salinisation, local Contamination (hot spots) Level III: Specialized monitoring sites using advanced techniques (remote sensing, modeling, dedicated measurements) Erosion, Sealing, Hydro geological risks (floods, landslides)

Level I Level I: Grid-based  Basic monitoring on a regular grid  Decline organic matter, loss of soil biodiversity, diffuse soil contamination,  Under National responsibility . Use of the existing systems . Flexibility  QA/QC procedures: inter-laboratory calibration

European Soil Monitoring Network Level I simulation (extension of ICP forest) 16 x 16 km cell size 21,760 cells

Soil Grid Land cover Comparison Statistics for all Europe Statistics for grid points

Comparison of the frequencies of distributions All Europe Grid-points Relative frequencies Soil x Corine Land Cover Soil x Land-Cover Europe Grid-points Bd x 31 4.9% 5.2% Lo x 21 3.8% 4.0% Be x 21 3.0% 3.2% Bk x 23 2.6% 2.8% … …

Level II: Reference sites  Selection of sites by National and European institutions ( 10%)  Soil physical degradation, soil salinization, local soil contamination (hot spots)  Sampling at National level (delineation of risk)  Analysis and archiving at European level with only one laboratory and one common archiving  Include level I analysis (benchmarking)

European Soil Monitoring Network Level II simulation 16 x16 km cell size Level I = 21,760 cells Level II  2,000 cells

Level III: Specialised sites  Small areas representative of climatic and landscape conditions (ex: catchments)  Soil erosion, soil sealing, hydrological risks  Dedicated measurements (spatial process)  Extrapolation by models (parameters in levels I and II, remote sensing…)

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

Soil Policy Development - Organisational Set-up Advisory Forum Chair DG ENV Stakeholders meetings TWG 1 Monitoring TWG 2 Erosion TWG 3 Organic matter TWG 4 Contamination ISWG = Interservice Working Group TWG = Technical Working Group Commission ISWG Technical co-ordination group and secretariat TWG5 Research 10/10/2002

Time for action ! Erosion Decline of soil organic matter Specific measures (CAP, Regional policy, etc.) Decline of soil organic matter Specific measures (Biowaste dir., Sewage sludge dir., etc.) Soil contamination Specific measures (Mining waste dir., etc.) Monitoring Directive on soil monitoring

Streamlining the flow of policy relevant soil information in EuropeTowards knowledge based policy making Georeferenced Soil Database for Europe EU Soil Monitoring (ICP Forest+LUCAS,etc.) Reporting policy relevant soil data aggregated by administrative units Ideally such a streamlined European system of soil data should facilitate the transfer of information from both the National and the European soil monitoring programmes to an harmonised georeferenced soil database. Information should be aggregated in meaningful spatial units (Soilscapes) therefore post-stratifying the data according to soil types. Reporting of policy relevant soil information should be done by deriving information out of the Georeferenced soil database for Europe and aggregating the information per administrative units, for example EUROSTAT’s NUTS3 level. As an example, the preliminary results of some of our soil erosion risk assessment activities is reported, showing soil erosion risk in five classes aggregated by NUTS3 administrative units. Thank you very much for your attention, National Soil Monitoring National Soil Surveys Soil Mapping Unit (Soilscape) Normalised Statistical Unit ACCESS HARMONISATION REPORTING