SSSB Thematic Day on Soil Health / Quality: What Defines a “Good Soil”?

As we have entered the Anthropocene, the awareness has grown that soils are a vital, though limited, resource, supporting the delivery of many key ecosystem services such as food security and climate regulation. Given the critical role of soils in securing human well-being a range of new policy-making initiatives have been set up recently, such as the EU Soil Health Law. Hence, an exchange between policymakers and scientists is crucial in order to find out what parameters are key in determining a healthy soil. Or in other words, a very important question remains: “What Defines a Good Soil”? In the light of this question we would like to invite scientific contributions focusing on assessments of either physical, chemical or biological indicators of soil quality and/or soil health. We welcome both oral and poster and presentations covering a wide range of ecosystems, including natural, agricultural and urban environments.

Following Invited speakers will be on stage:

Martien Swerts (Vlaams Planbureau voor Omgeving) :” Risk-based thresholds and soil functional indicators in the context of the EU soil health law.”

Bas van Wesemael (UClouvain, Ecole de Géographie) : “Monitoring of soil health indicators in support of policy measures”

Gilles Colinet (University of Liège): " Healthy soils, healthy food? A trace metal perspective in kitchen and market gardens".

Ellen Desie (KULeuven): "Soil health in forest soils – challenges and solutions"

Oral presentation will be followed by a debate on the suitability of a soil health approach in the context of the current EU law making process as well as on how to provide policy makers with scientific information and tools needed to protect our soils and secure the delivery of ecosystem services for future generations.