Global soil biodiversity atlas

Description

Soil forms the basis of all life on earth, and at the same time soil is an important habitat for a large variety of species. Soils are hot spots of biodiversity and can drive a number of key environmental, social and economic ecosystem services such as water supplies, production functions, buffering and transforming pollutants, atmospheric composition and climate regulation etc. Many of these services are closely attached to ecosystem based adaptation strategies. As important as soil is, many people do not recognize this.

The “Global soil biodiversity atlas” aims to raise awareness of the important role of soil and its contribution to biodiversity and ecosystem services. The Atlas gives a good overview on the importance and great variety of soil and soil organisms. It explains how soil biotas drives ecosystem service, how these services are under threat, and gives examples how soil can be managed to sustain ecosystem services and help to adapt to a changing climate.

The often unseen vital soil habitats need to be sustainably managed and protected from sealing or degradation processes. Howeve, land use is not the only pressure: the changes in climatic conditions will have an evident effect on soil formation and soil biodiversity. Soil biota is directly (e.g. soil moisture, temperature) and indirectly (e.g. droughts, flooding) connected to the climate, and thus the changing climate conditions are one of the most important environmental changes that influence soil biodiversity and ecosystem services. Climate change is being considered in many issues of this Atlas and one chapter focuses on the impacts of climate change providing a good overview on possible feedback responses of soil biota on global warming.

Reference information