Abstract
This project comprises six sub-projects that will provide an overview of current knowledge, explore potential ways to manage soils in a sustainable manner and identify gaps in the evidence base for Defra relating to soil carbon, soil management, urban soils and soil resilience in relation to climate change. The relationships between soil pollutants and food will also be reviewed, and soil quality indicators pertinent to policy reporting cycles discussed. The seven principal outputs will provide evidence-based support for the implementation of the Soil Strategy for England. The objectives of the six sub-projects are: Objective A: To evaluate the potential of technologies for increasing carbon storage in soil to mitigate climate change. Objective B: To determine the relationship between best practice for managing soils to protect the environment with that for increased productivity. Objective C: To review and make an initial assessment of the impacts of climate change on soils in the urban environment, addressing the potential impact to the ecosystem goods and services which they provide. Objective D: To review the evidence of what makes some soils more resilient to change, to evaluate what this means for soils in England and Wales, and to provide an initial assessment of the extent to which resilience can be conferred to soils. Objective E: To review the literature on the concentrations of pollutants in soils that lead to significant concentrations of pollutants in food. Objective F: To explore and discuss the setting of outcome focused indicators of soil quality that can be reported on within policy reporting cycles. A concise summary that synthesises the outputs of these sub-projects will also be produced. The overall project will be co-ordinated by Enviros Consulting Ltd. The detailed studies will be carried out by internationally-leading soil scientists from Cranfield University, the Cross-Institute Programme for Soils (Rothamsted Research/North Wyke), ADAS Consulting Ltd and the British Geological Survey. The approach to all six sub-projects will be to procure the most recent information to augment and update each of the teams` existing knowledge bases. The key questions and issues raised within each of their briefs will be explored, and reviews and discussion papers drafted accordingly. The teams will be made up from experts from the different organisations, ensuring a good cross-fertilisation of ideas, and there will be frequent communication within and between teams. A review/discussion paper will be produced for each sub-project, and a concise Executive Summary will be compiled to put the information and evidence gaps into the context of the Soil Strategy for England. The tangible benefits arising from this work will be the collation of information and the drawing up of conclusions relating to the principal themes under consideration. The outputs will be widely promulgated across the peer-reviewed and general literature. This work will significantly enhance the robustness and likely effectiveness of the Soil Strategy for England.
United Kingdom