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Title: FORUM paper: The significance of soils and soil science towards realization of the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs)

Author
item KEESSTRA, S - WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY
item BOUMA, J - WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY
item WALLINGA, J - WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY
item TITTONEL, P - INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE TECNOLOGIA AGROPECUARIA
item SMITH, P - UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN
item CERDA, A - UNIVERSITY OF VALENCIA
item MONTANARELLA, L - EUROPEAN COMMISSION-JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE (JRC)
item QUINTON, J - LANCASTER UNIVERSITY
item Pachepsky, Yakov
item VAN DER PUTTEN, W - NETHERLANDS INSTITUTE OF ECOLOGY
item BARGETT, R - UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER
item MOOLENAAR, S - WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY
item MOL, G - WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY
item FRESCO, L - WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Soil
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/26/2016
Publication Date: 3/1/2016
Citation: Keesstra, S., Bouma, J., Wallinga, J., Tittonel, P., Smith, P., Cerda, A., Montanarella, L., Quinton, J., Pachepsky, Y.A., Van Der Putten, W., Bargett, R., Moolenaar, S., Mol, G., Fresco, L. 2016. FORUM paper: The significance of soils and soil science towards realization of the United Nations sustainable development goals. Soil. 2:111-128.

Interpretive Summary: The global climate, resource and population pressures pose a critical question: are there resources available to make future development sustainable? Soil scientists are convinced that soil can be one such resource if used wisely. The goal of this paper is to present an outlook of current soil research that addresses challenges summarized in the recent UN documents on sustainable development goals. We summarize soils’ role and contribution to food safety and security, public health, water availability, biodiversity, and socioeconomics. We also propose specific actions to facilitate soil knowledge dissemination, application, and accumulation. In this paper we open a discussion that we hope will contribute to showing the specific value of soil science; taking leadership in overarching systems-analyses of ecosystems, raising awareness of soil organic matter as a key attribute of soils, improving the transfer of knowledge affecting education at all levels, and facilitating communication within the policy arena.

Technical Abstract: This FORUM paper discusses how the soil science profession can address the challenges of the recently adopted UN Sustainable Development Goals in the most effective manner. The broad Sustainable Development Goals are intended to be a guideline for all governments. Some Goals are mainly socio-economic in character while others focus clearly on the biophysical system, in which soils play a clear role. Although it is tempting to make the distinction between a focus on socioeconomics and on the biophysical system, these two realms together define human existence and mutually depend on each other. Soils mightily contribute to general ecosystem services, defined as “services to society that ecosystems provide”. A clear framework linking SDGs, ecosystem services and soil functions will also pave the way towards a more relevant contribution of the soil science community to on-going major global and regional ecosystems assessments related to land and soils which requires cooperation between different disciplines. We address six main issues of sustainable development as related to soils with separate essays included in the paper. These are Soil fertility and the role of soils for food security in developing countries, Soil and public health as a vital nexus, Soil water and sustainable development goals, Impact of climate change on soils and opportunities for mitigation, Functions of soil biodiversity, and The challenge to implement effective soil conservation. We suggest actions to be taken to succeed in maximize the contribution of soil science to sustainable development design and implementation given the challenges humankind faces.