Foundations for a national assessment of soil biodiversity

authored by

Carlos A. Guerra, Nico Eisenhauer, Christoph C. Tebbe, Willi E.R. Xylander, C. Albert, Doreen Babin, Bartosz Bartkowski, Benjamin Burkhard, Juliane Filser, Dagmar Haase, Karin Hohberg, Janina Kleemann, Sanina Kolb, Christina Lachmann, Matthias C. Rillig, Jörg Römbke, Liliane Ruess, Stefan Scheu, Nicole Scheunemann, Bastian Steinhoff-Knopp, Nicole Wellbrock, Christian Ristok

Abstract

Soils, just like all other ecosystem compartments, change over time and, consequently, conditions for soil-inhabiting organisms are also changing, affecting their composition and diversity. Soil biodiversity is a critical component of ecosystems that supports many essential ecosystem functions and services, such as nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, water regulation and biomass production for food, fodder, fibre and energy. However, and despite the importance of soil biodiversity for ecosystem health and human well-being, neither current state, drivers, potential consequences for ecosystem services nor options for sustainable governance of soil biodiversity are well understood. Here, we provide a framework for and argue that conducting a national assessment of soil biodiversity, albeit being a complex endeavour, is fundamental to building a baseline to understand the current state and trends of soil biodiversity, but also to identify the main drivers of change, the impacts of soil biodiversity loss and the potential pathways for conservation and sustainable governance of soil biodiversity.

Organisation(s)

Institute of Environmental Planning
Institute of Physical Geography and Landscape Ecology
Physical Geography Group

External Organisation(s)

German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
University of Coimbra
Leipzig University
Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute, Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry and Fisheries
State Museum of Natural History Görlitz
International Institute (IHI) Zittau
Julius Kühn Institute - Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants (JKI)
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ)
Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
University of Bremen
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU Berlin)
Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF)
Nationales Monitoringzentrum zur Biodiversität am Bundesamt für Naturschutz
Freie Universität Berlin (FU Berlin)
Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research
RPR BgR
University of Göttingen
Thünen Institute of Forest Ecosystems (WO)

Type

Article

Journal

Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment

Volume

3

Publication date

29.08.2024

Publication status

Published

Peer reviewed

Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous), Agronomy and Crop Science, Plant Science, Ecology

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 2 - Zero Hunger, SDG 15 - Life on Land, SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being

Electronic version(s)

https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.12116 (Access: Open)