Year: 2001
Type: report
Abstract: Environmental policy shows a growing interest in instruments to measure and predict the quality of ecosystems in relation to the influence of human activities. Keywords in this respect are 'sustainable development', and 'sustainable use of biodiversity'. In the Netherlands, policy regarding biodiversity is based on the 'classical' approaches, such as the protection of endangered species and nature areas. However, governmental concern is growing whether this approach is sufficient to attain a sustainable use of ecosystems, e.g. the agricultural use of soils. The research initiative is related to the Treaty on Biological Diversity adopted in Rio de Janeiro (UNCED 1992). This report presents the results of a pilot- project in which an indicator system for biological soil quality was tested in a soil-monitoring network (in 1997: 20 grasslands on clay soil and 17 horticultural farms). The indicator system should produce an integrated view of the ecological state of the soil in relation to specific Life Support Functions (production, mineralization, nutrient cycling, etc.). Indicator groups were: nematodes, earthworms, enchytreads, potential nitrification, diversity of microbial functions (Biolog-system), bacterial growth rate and biomass. Identification of the mite fauna and complete food web sampling were performed on a limited number of sites. Some ways to integrate soil biological parameters into an aggregated presentation format (AMOEBE and Soil Quality Index) are presented. Additionally, problems of choice, like proper references or policy targets, are discussed. It is recommended to extend the biological monitoring programme to different soil types and land use forms. It will also provide a database with the opportunity to derive statistical habitat-respons relations for a prognostic instrument.
Language: Dutch
Subfield: Soil Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDGs: Life on land, Zero hunger
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7135287826