The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) warned on Monday of rapid soil degradation, with major risks for biodiversity and human life, calling on “the international community to make this a priority.”
“Soil plays a crucial role in sustaining life on Earth. Yet it is still often neglected or poorly managed,” said Director general of the UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, who was speaking at the closing session of an international conference entitled “Rooted in Resilience: Discovering the Importance of Soil in Sustainable Development,” organized jointly in Agadir by UNESCO and the National Agency for the Development of Oases and Argan Zones (ANDZOA).
In this respect, she appealed to the Organization’s 194 Member States to improve soil protection and rehabilitation. UNESCO is also undertaking a number of actions to fill the scientific knowledge gaps in this field.
“With sixty years of experience in soil science, our Organization will help States to advance knowledge and train professionals so that the necessary measures can be taken,” she noted during this conference, which brought together experts and representatives from over 30 member States of the Organization.
According to UNESCO, healthy soils are essential for maintaining ecosystems and biodiversity, regulating the climate, producing food and purifying water. However, according to the World Atlas of Desertification, 75% of them are already degraded, directly impacting 3.2 billion people. And if current trends continue, this proportion will rise to 90% by 2050.
UNESCO will support its Member States by establishing a “world soil health index” in coordination with its international partners. This index will be a standardized measure for assessing and comparing soil quality across different regions and ecosystems.
It will allow the identification of trends showing degradation or improvement, reveal which areas are most at risk, and enable better understanding the effectiveness of soil management practices.
In addition to this index, UNESCO will launch a pilot initiative for the sustainable management of soils and landscapes in around ten natural sites that it helps to protect under its Biosphere Reserves programme. The goal will be twofold: to assess the effectiveness of the management methods implemented in these sites, and to work to ensure that the best of these methods can be deployed in other regions of the world.
Site managers will be encouraged to develop innovative soil conservation and land management projects. Training will be provided for them, as well as for members of government agencies, conservation organizations and indigenous communities, to give them as many tools as possible to protect this essential resource.
This initiative will also include an educational component through which UNESCO will raise awareness and involve the younger generations.
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