Up to 70% of soils in Europe are in bad condition. This poses a very urgent problem: healthy soils are the very basis of healthy ecosystems and key ecosystem services, such as #biodiversity, water buffering and filtering, carbon storage and food production. No #healthysoils = no healthy future.
On the 16th of April, with the European Environmental Bureau, PAN Europe organized an hybrid event "Rooting for Healthy Soils in Europe". In the framework of the Horizon Europe project SOLO Soils For Europe, the event gathered policymakers, scientists and civil society to dig into some key aspects and needs regarding soil health and protection! Among others, Sébastien Mouret (EurEau), Vera Silva (Wageningen University & Research) and Tuur Vandeweyer joined the discussion.
During the event, PAN Europe's Executive Director Dr Martin Dermine explains why soil is considered to be the most biodiverse habitat, hosting more than half (59%) of all species. Soil pollution leads to soil life degradation. Martin Dermine also highlights the presence of heavy metals in fertilizers or pesticides. Those pollutants form an important source of diffuse soil pollution. It has been long proven to disrupt soil ecosystems. On the positive side, many farmers across Europe are now showing how restorative soil practices improve soil biodiversity.
Therefore, restoring European soils is long overdue. In July 2023, the European Commission published its proposal for a Soil Monitoring Law. The European Parliament has voted on the proposal: we ask to support a strong law to restore our soils!
The event is organised in the framework of the horizon Europe project ‘Soils For Europe - SOLO’.
Негізгі бет Martin Dermine: "70% of European soil are estimated to be in bad condition, due to human activities"
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