Today (4th December), ahead of World Soil Day, a new knowledge hub to promote the understanding of the importance of soil health is launched online.
UKSoils is an ambitious new initiative that aims to kickstart a nationwide appreciation and understanding of the economic, societal and ecological importance of soil health, and to support action and research. The hub will enable better access to robust, independent information, and provide a space for new proactive communities to share their knowledge and experiences of actions to improve soil health.
All life on Earth depends on healthy soils. The soil under our feet is a living system. It is home to many fascinating plants and animals, whose invisible interactions ensure our well-being and that of the planet. Soils provide us with nutritious food and other products as well as with clean water and flourishing habitats for biodiversity.
At the same time, soils can help slow the onset of climate change and make us more resilient to extreme climate events such as droughts and floods. Soils preserve our cultural heritage and are a key part of the landscapes that we all cherish. Simply put, healthy living soils keep us, and the world around us, alive.
This is a very exciting initiative as the landscape of action on soils in the UK is currently very fragmented. UKSoils will be a one-stop resource for all things soil, and it will connect the UK groups and organisations working to protect this beautiful living world below our feet. Join us!”
Dr Anna D Krzywoszynska
Associate director at the Institute for Sustainable Food and one of the co-founders of UKSoils
The UKSoils group are a growing cohort of scientific, campaigning and awareness raising organisations, all with a specialist knowledge of soil health.
Founding members are UK representatives on the EU Mission for Soil Health and Food and its Assembly (the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Earthwatch, The Institute for Sustainable Food at The University of Sheffield) and the Sustainable Soils Alliance.