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European Project (2017 - 2019) |
Context
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Objectives
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Study sites
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Study parameters
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Results
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Partners
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Soil biodiversity is pivotal for delivering food, fibre, biofuels, clean air, drinking water and carbon storage to society (Bardgett and van der Putten 2014). However, as stated by the European Commission Soil Thematic Strategy (COM2012/46), our understanding of how soil biodiversity is linked to soil functions and ecosystem services is still very limited (JRC 2012, Thiele-Bruhn et al. 2012, Lemanceau et al. 2014).
SoilMan is determined to work on a deeper understanding on the interrelationship between soil management, soil biodiversity, and ecosystem services. SoilMan brings together a broad spectrum of expertise in soil biology, soil science, ecology, and socio-economic sciences. A large number of both traditional and state-of-the-art methods and tools in soil ecosystem analysis as well as systematic economic and societal valuation of services provided by soil biodiversity will be applied. Via such an ecological, economic and political valuation of soil biodiversity in agricultural systems, soil biota will be placed into a socio-ecological context (cf. Pascual et al. 2015). No other ecosystems provide stronger interfaces between environmental responses to human activities and vice versa. In order to understand how farm-based soil management systems influence soil biodiversity and the sustainable provision of ecosystem goods and services, SoilMan will quantify soil ecosystem functions and multiple ecosystem services based on biodiversity parameters in typical mainstream agriculture in different European regions graded for the four basic soil management factors (1) tillage, (2) fertilization, (3) crop rotation, and (4) residue management. |
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Objectives |
Workpackages (WP) |
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Objectives 1 - Explore European soil biodiversity as a function of land use characteristics and regional habitat conditions |
WP1: Habitat and Diversity |
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Objectives 2 - Explore the impact of soil biodiversity on soil functioning and the provision of soil related ecosystem services |
WP2: Soil functions and processes |
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Objectives 3 - Develop a mechanistic model integrating biological activity in the soil and carbon dynamics |
WP3: From practices to services |
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Objectives 4 - Value the most important goods and services soil biodiversity can provide for society and assess the impact of policy on its provision. |
WP4: Socio-economic valuation of services provided by soil organisms |
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Objectives 5 - Compare the specific regional results and to link them with the European policies and laws debate in such a way that the results of SoilMan can be useful for policy and decision makers. |
WP5: Cross national comparison and policy issues |
2017
Country | Site - Studied practices | |
France |
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EFFEL -Tillage, Lusignan - Crop rotation |
Germany |
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Garte Süd - Tillage |
Romania |
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Turda - Tillage |
Spain |
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La Hampa - Tillage |
Sweden |
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Uppland - Tillage, Angermanland - Crop rotation |
Dissemination activities
Scientific publications
Contributions to scientific conferences
Scientific partners
Estonia |
University of Tartu |
(UTAR) |
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France |
INRA |
(INRA) |
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Agrocampus Ouest |
(Agrocampus) |
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University of Rennes 1 |
(UR1) |
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Germany |
University of Göttingen |
(UGOE) |
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Thünen-Institute |
(TI) |
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Institute for Applied Soil Biology |
(IFAB) |
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Spain |
Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, Spanish National Research Council. |
(CSIC) |
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Sweden |
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, NJ-faculty, Department of Ecology |
(SLU) |
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Romania |
University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca |
(UASVM) |
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