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Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Soil-derived Nature's Contributions to People and their contribution to the un Sustainable Development Goals
AU - Smith, P.
AU - Keesstra, S.D.
AU - Silver, W.L.
AU - Adhya, T.K.
AU - De Deyn, G.B.
AU - Carvalheiro, L.G.
AU - Giltrap, D.L.
AU - Renforth, P.
AU - Cheng, K.
AU - Sarkar, B.
AU - Saco, P.M.
AU - Scow, K.
AU - Smith, J.
AU - Morel, J.-C.
AU - Thiele-Bruhn, S.
AU - Lal, R.
AU - McElwee, P.
PY - 2021/9/27
Y1 - 2021/9/27
N2 - This special issue provides an assessment of the contribution of soils to Nature's Contributions to People (NCP). Here, we combine this assessment and previously published relationships between NCP and delivery on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to infer contributions of soils to the SDGs. We show that in addition to contributing positively to the delivery of all NCP, soils also have a role in underpinning all SDGs. While highlighting the great potential of soils to contribute to sustainable development, it is recognized that poorly managed, degraded or polluted soils may contribute negatively to both NCP and SDGs. The positive contribution, however, cannot be taken for granted, and soils must be managed carefully to keep them healthy and capable of playing this vital role. A priority for soil management must include: (i) for healthy soils in natural ecosystems, protect them from conversion and degradation; (ii) for managed soils, manage in a way to protect and enhance soil biodiversity, health and sustainability and to prevent degradation; and (iii) for degraded soils, restore to full soil health. We have enough knowledge now to move forward with the implementation of best management practices to maintain and improve soil health. This analysis shows that this is not just desirable, it is essential if we are to meet the SDG targets by 2030 and achieve sustainable development more broadly in the decades to come. This article is part of the theme issue 'The role of soils in delivering Nature's Contributions to People'. © 2021 The Author(s).
AB - This special issue provides an assessment of the contribution of soils to Nature's Contributions to People (NCP). Here, we combine this assessment and previously published relationships between NCP and delivery on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to infer contributions of soils to the SDGs. We show that in addition to contributing positively to the delivery of all NCP, soils also have a role in underpinning all SDGs. While highlighting the great potential of soils to contribute to sustainable development, it is recognized that poorly managed, degraded or polluted soils may contribute negatively to both NCP and SDGs. The positive contribution, however, cannot be taken for granted, and soils must be managed carefully to keep them healthy and capable of playing this vital role. A priority for soil management must include: (i) for healthy soils in natural ecosystems, protect them from conversion and degradation; (ii) for managed soils, manage in a way to protect and enhance soil biodiversity, health and sustainability and to prevent degradation; and (iii) for degraded soils, restore to full soil health. We have enough knowledge now to move forward with the implementation of best management practices to maintain and improve soil health. This analysis shows that this is not just desirable, it is essential if we are to meet the SDG targets by 2030 and achieve sustainable development more broadly in the decades to come. This article is part of the theme issue 'The role of soils in delivering Nature's Contributions to People'. © 2021 The Author(s).
KW - Nature's Contributions to People
KW - NCP
KW - SDG
KW - soil
KW - soil health
KW - Sustainable Development Goals
KW - best management practice
KW - biodiversity
KW - soil management
KW - sustainability
KW - sustainable development
KW - Sustainable Development Goal
KW - article
KW - ecosystem
KW - human
KW - soil pollution
U2 - 10.1098/rstb.2020.0185
DO - 10.1098/rstb.2020.0185
M3 - Journal article
VL - 376
JO - Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
JF - Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
SN - 0962-8436
IS - 1834
M1 - 20200185
ER -