2015: international year of soil conservation
17.12.2014
Note: This text is from the archive.
Federal Environment Ministry to step up efforts in soil conservation
Federal Environment Ministry to step up efforts in soil conservation
At the launch of the international year of soils, representatives from politics, science and civil society came together for two days to discuss possible ways of soil conservation. Soils are of essential importance for the protection of our climate, biological diversity and food supply. For that reason the General Assembly of the United Nations decided on 20 December 2013 to declare 2015 the international year of soils. A ceremony is taking place today in Berlin to launch the national part of the year of soils to be followed up by an international event tomorrow.
State Secretary for Building Gunther Adler stated: "Many people are not aware of the essential importance of soils for our life. If we do not step up our efforts in soil conservation, we risk losing the foundation of our life in the long run, and the poorest regions of the world will feel the impact most. For long-term food security and the protection of our climate we have to take better care of our soils and step up our commitment."
Many essential services provided by soils are scarcely known. They are important for climate protection because the amount of CO2 sequestered in soils is twice the amount contained in the atmosphere. The function of soils for biodiversity is also decisive - the number of organisms that live below the soil’s surface is twice as high as the number that live above. Furthermore, soils provide for 90 percent of our food.
However, projections predict that the per capita acreage of arable land available globally will be halved by 2050 due to a growing population and the loss of agricultural land. In Europe we already need more arable land today than is available to us on European soil. This means that we in Europe are using arable land in regions outside Europe for our food supply, which, as a result, is no longer available to the local population.
The presentations and discussions on the second day of the event concentrated on the responsibilities, in particular of Germany, for international soil conservation. Parliamentary State Secretary at the Environment Ministry, Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter emphasised: "The availability of fertile soil on our planet is constantly decreasing. Due to our food consumption patterns in Germany, we have been using soil outside our country for our food supply for quite some time. This is something we cannot ignore. The international year of soils has come at the right point in time to canvass support for soil conservation. In September 2015 the international community will take a decision on the Sustainable Development Goals it wants to achieve by 2030. In this process Germany also supports a soil conservation goal."
The web site of the UN Year of Soils provides information on the diverse agenda of events in 2015. It extends from expert meetings to photo and art exhibitions, skill development workshops, excursions in museums, field trips, the opening of new educational "soil walks" and publications in professional journals and of leaflets.
17.12.2014
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Press release
No. 251/14
| International
