Commission 4.1. Soils and the environment

Officers

General statement

Soil is a fundamental resource for the welfare of humans, and life in general on earth, and as such it is one of the most important assets to protect and pass on to future generations. This mission requires communication of strategically important research-based knowledge about interactions between soils and environmental disturbances, not only among the scientific community, but also to policy makers and the general public.

Objectives

	To find the right forms for communication of important soil issues and related environmental problems to policy makers, environmental journalists and other interest groups in the society. An example of this would be to write popular science articles in an easy to understand manner in wide-spread magazines.
	To encourage participation of soil scientists in international and national legislative organizations dealing with soils and environmental issues.
	To increase the awareness in society on how industrial production affects soils on a global scale.
	To provide a forum which fosters the exchange of scientific information on interactions between soils and environmental disturbances.

Specific statement on environmental functions

Soil can be considered as an interface between different compartments in the environment and thus fulfills different essential functions, such as: quality control of the alimentary agricultural production, maintenance of the balance and quality of water (ground and surface water, including floods), and control of air quality and global change. Some functions can be designed as ecological functions and concern biodiversity and landscape issues.

Objectives: these soil functions have to be given large priority by the 4.1 commission and they justify a soil protection strategy by the stakeholders involved in environment management

Environmental soil functions (M Robert)