Neglect and a lack of understanding of soils is threatening to permanently damage one of our most important natural resources according to a report published today (Thursday) by the Environment Agency.
The State of Soils Report, which looks at the health of soils in England and Wales has found that our disregard and a lack of understanding of soil is causing damage which may have serious consequences for future generations. This damage is resulting in problems such as soil erosion and contamination, homes being damaged by 'muddy floods' and water being polluted with silt and fertilizer with resulting impact on wildlife and fisheries.
Soil is crucial to all life on earth yet few consider the vital role it plays in our everyday lives - it provides us with food, is important to the air we breathe, gives us a place to live, the material to build a home, it cleans our water and protects us from flooding.
The average person uses 11 tonnes of raw materials (excluding water) every year and 330 million tonnes of minerals and coals are extracted from the land in the UK every year.
Demand for raw material, new homes, intensive farming and a lack of understanding of the effect our actions have, is all taking its toll. The report found that:
· The area of soil usable for cultivation available per person has declined by more than a fifth since 1975 (0.32 hectares to 0.25 hectares) - this is down to both soil loss and population growth. The typical western diet requires more that twice as much usable soil - (0.6 hectares)
· Eroded silt from surrounding land can smother riverbed gravels, harming aquatic plants, invertebrates and the eggs of fish. Trout spawning beds in 29 out of 51 river reaches surveyed in Southern England contained more than 15 per cent of fine sediment, a point at which half the egg and larvae are likely to die. Salmon are also affected in this way.
· The equivalent of up to a 1cm thick layer of soil can be lost each year from some areas. This is unsustainable in areas with only 15 cms of soil.
· In England and Wales erosion moves some 2.2 million tonnes of arable topsoil every year. Topsoil is the most fertile part of the soil profile as it contains the most nutrients. This is where seeds germinate.
· Nitrous oxide from soils contributes four per cent of UK greenhouse emissions. Levels are increased when inorganic nitrogen fertilisers and manure are added to soil. Nitrates from these fertilisers also have a detrimental effect on the water we use.
Barbara Young, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency said:
"For too long now we have been building, working, farming and consuming without understanding its impact on the land and as a result we are now seeing growing signs of soil related problems. If we continue to neglect it, sooner or later the consequences will be evident and once soils are badly damaged they are almost impossible to restore to a healthy state."
"We need to understand more about soil. More specifically, we need to know more about what it does and how it does it and how we can protect it. This isn't just about encouraging more sustainable farming techniques, this is about understanding what effect our actions are having on the ground underfoot."
The report has highlighted a number of key areas that need to be addressed if we are to save our soils. They include the need to:
· Improve our knowledge of soil - without understanding more about what soil does and how it works, it is difficult to know how to protect it.
· Manage soil, water and air as one - adverse effects in one area will have a direct effect on the other two
· Promote more sustainable agricultural practices - intensive agriculture can be damaging to soils and water
· Tackle land contamination which is a risk to groundwater quality and a deterrent to redevelopment.
· Use sustainable drainage to control flooding
The Environment Agency and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will be publishing their respective soil strategies on how best to protect our soils next week.
The Environment Agency is currently conducting a comprehensive survey into the level of contaminants in soil, the results of which will be published in the Autumn.
