Moving Ahead from Assessments to Actions: Could We Win the Struggle with Soil Degradation in Europe?

Abstract

The EU Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection has identified eight major threats to European soils. They include erosion, organic matter decline, compaction, salinisation, landslides, contamination, sealing and biodiversity decline. Yet a Framework Directive for Soil Protection as a legally binding document for all the EU member states has to become reality. This chapter emphasises the importance of soil functions and services in support of Europe's agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability. It draws conclusions also on the elaborated available soil legislation in the EU and explores the linkages between policy measures, implied agricultural soil conservation practices and soil degradation processes. It also emphasise the needs for additional soil research and awareness activities throughout Europe to further support soil conservation.