The future for soil biodiversity

Soil organisms are a very precious part of the soil system. Yet because of the fact that most organisms are below ground and out of sight, we know far less about them certainly than above ground organisms. Many are also in the microscopic and sub-microscopic size range and this adds to the problem of identification and study of their role. Yet these organisms hold the key to so much of the potential of the soils and to how they can and should be managed in the future. First and foremost we must develop swiftly a far more extensive knowledge of these soil organisms, their behaviour and their roles. Without this, in almost every use we make of the soil we shall be 'stabbing in the dark' with respect to the damage or otherwise that we may be doing, with potentially very harmful consequences. It is a major challenge to get to know much more about these organisms. Will the main research funding organisations of the world recognise this and take steps to secure this information and will governments introduce protocols to ensure the preservation of soil biodiversity? Until we have a better understanding of the consequences of soil biodiversity it is essential that a strong precautionary principle is applied to any change of land use, new additions to the soil and new and importantly genetically altered crops to be grown in it!

It is also very important that we pay more attention to the way that we manage soils. There are many examples of soil degradation worldwide and soils are being increasingly degraded, putting soil organisms at risk. There need to be stronger national and international restrictions on land degradation. It now seems increasingly likely that climate change has become a reality and there are suggestions that the rate of change may even have begun to accelerate. It is important to determine how soil organisms in current ecosystems will survive if these ecosystems undergo significant climatic change. We need to gain a better understanding of the likely impact of climate change and what impact it is likely to have on the soil organisms.

Soils have a vital role to play in ensuring a sustainable environment in the future and a sustainable food production for future populations. It is important to plan and manage the various aspects of biodiversity. This will entail: preventing or managing better fragmentation of habitats, such as that caused by increasing urbanisation; ensuring that new developments in biotechnology are only implemented when there is a thorough knowledge of all the systems affected; a good understanding of the likely impact of climate change on changing biodiversity, and lastly the taking of steps to mitigate against extreme changes which could have a catastrophic effect on biodiversity. Above all, in view of the fact that we know relatively little about the diversity of organisms in the soil and their full roles, it is very important that we adopt a precautionary principle to all plans for changes that could affect these organisms.