degraded soil News | Environmental XPRT

Soil degradation, a deepening problem

Click on the link to go to the soil degradation presentation. Land is increasingly encountering problems which cause soil degradation. Erosion, desiccation and salinisation are just a few examples. The result is that fertile top layers of the soil disappear, water infiltration deteriorates and surface discharge accelerates. This constant decline in soil fertility, productivity and cultural and ...

May 29, 2015

By Eijkelkamp Soil & Water

Soil protection critical for Europe`s economy and ecosystems

Soil is one of the planet's invaluable resources but continues to be degraded in Europe. Together, the mineral particles, water, air, organic matter, and living organisms that constitute soil perform key functions which underpin our society. Soil is a vital, non-renewable resource for ecosystems, playing an essential role in services such as water purification and food production. It is also a ...

Feb. 14, 2012

By European Environment Agency (EEA)

World soil day opportunity for UK government to commit to protect healthy soils

Costs of soil degradation in England and Wales estimated at £264 million annually National environmental protection charity, Environmental Protection UK (EPUK), is calling on the UK Government to celebrate World Soil Day (Sunday 5th December 2010) by backing an important EU Framework Directive designed to enshrine the protection of soil within EU legislation. Despite its fundamental ...

Dec. 2, 2010

By Environmental Protection UK

International Year of Soils 2015: Healthy soils for a healthy life

Our soils are in danger because of expanding cities, deforestation, unsustainable land use and management practices, pollution, overgrazing and climate change. The current rate of soil degradation threatens the capacity to meet the needs of future generations. As long as soils are at risk, sustainable agriculture, food security and the provision of ecosystem services are compromised ...

Dec. 5, 2014

By Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Wind, salt and water are leading indicators of land degradation in Abu Dhabi desert lands

Desert environments are characterized by poor vegetative cover, strong winds, dry, non-cohesive sandy soils, and hyper-arid conditions. In this context, the land resources of Abu Dhabi Emirate in the United Arab Emirates are subjected to various land degradation stresses, including wind erosion, salinization, waterlogging, landfilling, and overgrazing. To sustain the land resources of Abu Dhabi ...

May 7, 2009

By Harvard Apparatus

Restoring Soils in Our Own Backyard

SOIL’s household sanitation service was designed with nature as our guide, and as such, as we expand the reach of EkoLakay in urban Haiti, we’re producing more of the compost that makes its way back to the soil to support critically needed restoration efforts. After centuries of deforestation and erosion, poverty, and intensive colonial agricultural practices, soils in Haiti have ...

Feb. 22, 2019

By SOIL Haiti

ISRIC co-organiser of the Spanish Soil Exposition

Today (Oct 1,2015), the opening of the exposition ‘The soil, a walk through life’, which is co-organised by ISRIC, will take place in Madrid. The exposition has been organised in the context of the International Year of the Soil and will be displayed in the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales for six months. This museum is connected to the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). ...

Oct. 1, 2015

By Wageningen University and Research Centre

FAO launches new global soil database

A new database on the world’s soils improves knowledge of the current and future land productivity as well as the present carbon storage and carbon sequestration potential of the world’s soils. It helps to identify land and water limitations, and assist in assessing the risks of land degradation, particularly soil erosion risks, said FAO this week. Derived from the soil database, FAO has produced ...

Jul. 21, 2008

By Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Cities occupy 0.5 per cent of the world`s total land

A new global map of urban areas1 is available for use which shows that cities occupy less than 0.5 per cent of the world's total land area. Growing populations and increased rural-to-urban migration in developing countries mean that over 50 per cent of the global population now live in urban areas. Locally, cities have a considerable impact on the environment: they create microclimates (such as ...

Jan. 7, 2010

By Science for Environment Policy - European Commission DG Environment News Alert Service

Is soil the first failure of the French Presidency?

The European Environmental Bureau, Europe's largest federation of environmental citizens' organisations, has challenged the French Presidency to start delivering on their promise to move forward on the Soil Framework Directive and to improve upon the last compromise reached during the Portuguese presidency in December. John Hontelez, EEB Secretary General, explained: We welcome the decision of ...

Jul. 23, 2008

By European Environmental Bureau

MEPs take aim at EU soil directive

The European parliament's rapporteur on a draft EU framework soil directive is proposing a significant softening of the European commission's proposals. Spanish centre-right MEP Cristina Gutiérrez-Cortines told the parliament's environment committee on Tuesday that a 'complete change' to the law is needed to give EU countries more flexibility in meeting its objectives. Under her plans an ...

Sep. 14, 2007

By Environmental News and Data Services (ENDS)

How green is ethanol made from sugarcane?

A recent study has concluded that expanding the amount of land in Brazil used to grow sugarcane for ethanol could have serious environmental and social consequences. It could lead to more pressure on natural rainforest if sugarcane displaces other crops northwards, degraded soil and water supplies, and exploitation of workers in the industry. Brazil provides an important case-study for policy ...

Aug. 4, 2008

By European Commission, Environment DG

Preventing and remediating degradation of soils in Europe through land care

The European Commission recently granted Wageningen University and partners a 11 million euro international research project focusing on preventing and remediating soil degradation in Europe. The RECARE project is a joint initiative of 27 institutions and organisations in Europe. Wageningen University is lead contractor, with a.o. Alterra and ISRIC as partners. The cross-cutting aim of the ...

Nov. 28, 2013

By Wageningen University and Research Centre

MEPs opt for compromise on EU soil directive

The European parliament's environment committee voted against a major weakening of proposals for an EU directive on soil protection on Tuesday. The committee rejected several amendments from centre-right rapporteur Cristina Gutiérrez-Cortines which would have watered down the proposals significantly (EED 13/09/07). Adopting a series of compromise amendments, MEPs retained an obligation on member ...

Oct. 10, 2007

By Environmental News and Data Services (ENDS)

Global plans of action endorsed to halt the escalating degradation of soils

Urgent action is required to improve the health of the world's limited soil resources and stop land degradation, so as to ensure that future generations have enough supplies of food, water, energy and raw materials, government representatives and experts meeting at FAO warned today. The Global Soil Partnership has endorsed a series of action plans at its plenary assembly in Rome today to ...

Jul. 24, 2014

By Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Sustainability key to growth in Africa

soft Word 12"> Africa is the most mineral rich continent on earth and open for business in a big way, this has not gone unnoticed by the industry’s executives who have announced their meeting at the latest NG Mining Africa summit. The continent's mining industry is continually expanding and adapting to changing conditions with more international companies scrambling for a piece ...

May 5, 2010

By GDS International

Voting opens to choose winners in tvebiomovies 2013 competition

After a record 565 film proposals from 75 countries were entered for this year’s tvebiomovies competition, the 14 finalists’ films selected to go into production today go live on YouTube ? marking the start of the two month voting period to find the ultimate 2013 winners by 19th December. This year’s tvebiomovies finalists come from across the globe, from Bolivia, Cameroun, ...

Oct. 29, 2013

By United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

US senate resolution shines spotlight on the importance of soils

The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) applauds the visionary action taken by Senator Sherrod Brown and his colleagues in the Senate who helped usher in legislation to recognize soils as an 'essential' natural resource, placing soil on par with water and air. On June 23, Senator Brown was joined by co-sponsoring Senators Kent Conrad (D-ND), Charles Grassley (R-IA), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Tom ...

Jul. 9, 2008

By Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)

Artificial wetlands on farmland help to prevent soil loss and recapture agricultural by-products

Small field wetlands are a simple and effective way to reduce soil erosion and nutrient pollution, recent research suggests. The authors adapted Norwegian designs for the UK environment and created a series of small rectangular lakes on the edges of agricultural fields. After three years, the wetlands had prevented tonnes of soil from leaving the land, and helped alleviate some of the nutrient ...

Nov. 1, 2015

By European Commission, Environment DG

Launch of the economics of ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) final report

"Mainstreaming the Economics of Nature: a synthesis of the approach, conclusions and recommendations of TEEB" Side Event followed by Press Conference Many of the planet's natural assets?from individual species to forests, coral reefs and soils - are degrading at an alarming rate. Multi-trillion dollar losses are being sustained worldwide every year, undermining economies, business prospects and ...

Oct. 19, 2010

By United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)