Soil Resilience Is soil a renewable natural resource

Soil Resilience (Is soil a renewable natural resource? ) György VÁRALLYAY Research Institute for Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry (RISSAC) of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary „Environmental consequences of sustainability” VI. Alps-Adria Scientific Workshop, Obersvellach, Austria 30 April– 5 May, 2007

Sustainable development (SD) Development: „Process to grow larger, fuller or complete” Sustainable: „Enable to keep up (from falling or sinking); „To maintain a certain situation, level, or quality for a longer period” (The Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English)

SD milestones I. World Conference on Environmental Protection (Stockholm, 1972): II. Rio Summit 1992. most frequent term global objective: – each decision-making level – every country – each branch of economy AGENDA 21. World Conference on „Soil resilience and sustainable land use” (Budapest, 2002) III. World Conference on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, 2002)

SD concept – FAO I. SD is the management and conservation of the natural resource base and the orientation of technological and institutional change in such a manner as to ensure the attainment and continued satisfaction of human needs for present and future generations

SD concept – FAO II. Sustainable development • conserves land water plant animal genetic • environmentally non-degrading; • technically appropriate; • economically viable; • socially acceptable. resources

Definitions Renewable: „That can be renewed or being renewed”; renew: „as good as new”; restore to the original condition. ” Resilience: „Quality or property of (quickly) recovering the original shape and conditions after being stressed (pulled, pressed, crushed etc. )” (The Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English) Soil resilience: „The soil’s ability to recover after disturbance; or to return to a new dynamic equilibrium” (Greenland Szabolcs, 1994)

Clusters of soil sustainability

Glossary of soil multifunctionality – sustainability system I.

Glossary of soil multifunctionality – sustainability system II.

Is sustainable land use and soil management a real task? Yes! Because soils are renewable but conditionally renewable natural resources ! they have the unique property: soil resilience !

Soil resilience I. Soils worldwide are being subjected to increasing degrees of physical, chemical and/or biological; natural or human-induced stresses): • extreme climatological or hydrological situations; • inappropriate agricultural management (irrational land use and cropping pattern; inadequate tillage operations, plant nutrition or plant protection technology, irrigation practice; over-sized and overconcentrated livestock farms); • industry, mining, infrastructure, rural and urban development with their unavoidable „waste production”.

Soil resilience II. Risk = Stress (load) vulnerability Soil resilience may prevent or moderate (reduce) the risk of unfavourable environmental economical social of stresses vulnerability by decreasing soil sensitivity susceptibility consequences

Soil resilience III. • The resilience of some soils allows natural and recovery rapid • The resilience of some other soils may require assistance: – regulation of moisture regime; – regulation of biogeochemical cycles of plant nutrients and pollutants; – proper agrotechnics; – reclamation, remediation. ? degree of reversibility possible: renewable? ? not possible: non-renewable? soils are conditionally renewable natural resources

Threats to soil resilience Society used natural resources multifunctionality of soils with an increasing manner: – for various purposes – with higher intensity (it does not necessarily lead to the reduction of „soil quality” and to limitations in soil multifunctionality) but the ensurance of the conditions of soil resilience (renewability) have sometimes been forgotten, which leads to: – nearly irreversible, non- or hardly correctable environmental changes; – in acute cases: catastrophic events

Main threats to soil resources Erosion Organic matter Compaction Decline in biodiversity Contamination local and diffuse Floods and landslides Salinization Sealing EU Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection

Conclusions Soils are conditionally renewable natural resources: their sustainable use is possible but needs continuous actions and permanent care • for the maintenance of their resilience, • helping their maximum renewal, • keeping or increasing their sustainable multifunctionality.

Main measures for sustainable land use and soil management • rational land use and cropping pattern; • proper agrotechnics (tillage, fertilization, pest and weed control practice); • regulation of moisture regime for the prevention or at least moderation of extreme hydrological events (floods, waterlogging, over-moistening or drought); • prevention of soil degradation processes and soil pollution; and minimize their unfavourable environmental/ecological consequences; • recycling of plant residues and „favourable wastes”.

Sustainable land use and soil management (maintenance of soil resilience) v preparedness v early warning v prediction / forecast / prognosis v prevention risk management !!! correction of consequences crisis management

Thank you for your kind attention!