Threats to soil quality in Denmark: a review of existing knowledge in the context of the EU soil thematic strategy.
Year: 2009
Type: report
Abstract: In 2006, the EU Commission launched a proposal for a Soil Framework Directive (SFD) with the purpose of protecting the soil resource across Europe.The proposal is based on the 'EU Soil Thematic Strategy', which incorporates the opinion of hundreds of experts, stakeholders, NGOs and politicians throughout Europe.It provides a comprehensive review of challenges, knowledge gaps and suggestions for actions.The SFD has not yet been approved by the Council.Despite the efforts of several presidencies, the Council has been unable so far to reach an agreement on this legislative proposal due to the opposition of a number of Member States constituting a blocking minority.The issues causing debate are mostly related to the identification and inventory of contaminated sites, which will not be dealt with in this report.The latest negotiations under the Czech Presidency (first half of 2009) have not changed this situation.The Swedish Presidency (second half of 2009) and the upcoming Presidencies (Spain and Belgium in 2010) will need to resume the discussions in order to make progress on this file as stated on the EU homepage for the Soil Thematic Strategy (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/soil/process_en.htm).It is, nevertheless, expected that the SFD will be approved in some form in the future, at least with respect to the threats to soil quality not related to soil contamination.If the SFD is agreed upon, its implementation will require a number of actions from the Danish government.This includes the identification of areas at risk (priority areas), the establishment of risk reduction targets, and decisions on measures to reach these targets.Although the reports issued by the Soil Thematic Strategy contain a comprehensive collection of knowledge regarding these tasks, a national basis will be needed to evaluate which actions to be taken in Denmark.This report was initiated by The Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Aarhus University, in 2007, and it contributes to this basis by first suggesting an unambiguous use of the risk assessment concept.Next, it focuses on three of the threats that are of particular importance for Danish conditions: (i) compaction, (ii) soil organic matter decline, and (iii) erosion (by water and tillage).For each of these threats the report reviews and identifies national risk / priority areas, and suggests options for regulating management.The report also summarizes and strengthens the framework for analyzing the quality of soils as affected by management and weather and points out the main research gaps to be filled in order to successfully implement a future SFD if/when agreed upon.
Language: English
Subfield: Soil Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W155610494