{"id":474,"date":"2023-10-24T11:58:30","date_gmt":"2023-10-24T09:58:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.iuss.org\/?p=474"},"modified":"2023-10-25T11:01:23","modified_gmt":"2023-10-25T09:01:23","slug":"iuss-alert-211","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.iuss.org\/alert\/iuss-alerts-2023\/iuss-alert-211\/","title":{"rendered":"IUSS Alert 211 (January-February 2023)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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IUSS News<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Welcome note by the new IUSS President<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The new President of the IUSS, Dr. Edoardo A.C. Costantini, has sent a welcome message to the IUSS members, which has been published in the News on the IUSS webpage (<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>https:\/\/www.iuss.org\/<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>). The President states that the IUSS needs continuous improvement to remain up to date and able to cope with the challenges posed by global changes, in a scientific and political arena that sees soil becoming more and more of interest for global institutions, governments, and private companies. We must collaborate with all stakeholders, but well equipped and dynamic, to efficiently support the scientific evidence of the importance of soil as a resource for life. Food security, the fight against desertification, combating climate change and loss of biodiversity, improving the well-being and health of citizens, recycling of effluents and organic materials, hydrogeological protection, and water safety, are all global challenges that cannot be achieved without deep scientific soil knowledge. It is our obligation to provide this knowledge in an effective, unbiased, and convincing way. The new Strategic Plan for the IUSS sets new goals and poses important novelties, such as a stronger involvement of the Council in the further development of the IUSS, with an annual instead of a biannual meeting. We shall keep our major events: the World Congress in 2026 and the Inter-Congress meeting in 2024 which will be held in China. We are also going to celebrate the Centennial of the IUSS in Italy in 2024. The programme is available at\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>https:\/\/centennialiuss2024.org\/<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0and the call for sessions has been already launched.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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New IUSS Secretariat from January 2023<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

After a lengthy selection procedure, which started with a call in April receiving three applications followed by an online hearing and an evaluation carried out by the IUSS Executive Committee, the Full members approved by vast majority the recommendation of the Executive Committee to select CREA (Council for Agricultural Research and Economics of Italy) in Rome, as the new host of the IUSS Secretariat. The handover to the new Secretariat took place in January. Currently, the Secretariat is going through a transition phase and will be in full operation in a few months (summer time). The current transition, will in fact, require an increase in the Secretariat’s operational capacity for which personnel selections are underway. A call for candidates Secretariat Office Manager will be launch next week from CREA. The structure of the new IUSS Secretariat is shown in the table below and will be in charge for the next 4 years.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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IUSS Secretariat 2023-2026<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

iuss.secretariat@crea.gov.it<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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IUSS Stimulus fund \u2013 Call for submissions<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

IUSS has established an annual Stimulus Fund to support suitable activities within the Commissions and Working Groups. Where appropriate, the Fund will also support other activities to assist the development of Soil Science generally but particularly in regions of the world where lack of resources limit opportunities.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Deadline for submissions: extended to 30 April 2023<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.iuss.org\/about-the-iuss\/iuss-stimulus-fund\/<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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Call for IUSS projects<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The success of the WCSS held in Glasgow has increased the financial status of the IUSS and permits to finance projects aimed at the implementation of the IUSS Strategic Plan. Project proposals might be submitted to achieve specific objectives of the Strategic Plan and should involve the scientific structure of the IUSS, such as one or more Division, Commission WG, or the Forum. Proposals should be sent to\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>iuss.secretariat@crea.gov.it<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>. Proposals will be evaluated according to their elements of novelty, clarity and pertinence of the project’s objectives to the Strategic Plan, the foreseen impact on the objectives, and the quality and efficiency of the implementation.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Deadline for submissions: 30 April 2023\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The IUSS at EGU 2023<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The IUSS will have a stand at the next EGU in Vienna 23\u201328 April 2023, together with the Chinese and the Italian Soil Science Societies. The gadgets and info materials of the IUSS, those of the next Inter-Congress WCSS in China, and that of the Centennial in Italy will be distributed. Some IUSS officers and colleagues will be present at the stand to share info and ideas for the Union and the progress of Soil Sciences. Your visit is warmly welcome!<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Read more:\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>https:\/\/webforms.copernicus.org\/EGU23\/views\/exhibitor-portals<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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IUSS Centennial \u2013 Call for session proposals<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The IUSS Centennial website has opened the registrations and the call for session proposals at\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>https:\/\/centennialiuss2024.org\/<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Session proposals can be submitted until 30 June 2023.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The programme group chair and officers will build the session programme from the session proposals. The programme group chair may also suggest to merge proposed sessions that are similar.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Commission 1.6 Paleopedology Newsletters<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Newsletter no. 32 from Commission 1.6 is now available on the IUSS website.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Read more:\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>https:\/\/www.iuss.org\/newsroom\/newsletters\/paleopedology-newsletters-commission-16\/<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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Soil Science Society of China (SSSC) Newsletter<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Soil Science Society of China (SSSC) Newsletter Vol.7 and Vol.8\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Read more:\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>https:\/\/www.iuss.org\/newsroom\/newsletters\/soil-science-society-of-china-sssc-newsletter\/
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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News from national and regional soil science societies<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Soil Science Australia<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Dr Allan E. Hewitt (MWLR), Dr Megan R. Balks (University of Waikato), and Prof David J. Lowe (University of Waikato) were recently awarded the J.K. Taylor Gold Medal of Soil Science Australia for 2022 for their book \u201cThe Soils of Aotearoa New Zealand\u201d (Springer, 2021).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/link.springer.com\/book\/10.1007\/978-3-030-64763-6
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British Society of Soil Science (Newsletter ISSUE 8 | FEBRUARY 2023)<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Launch of the Policy Legacy Report<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Soil Policy event held at the 22nd World Congress of Soil Science in Glasgow was the first session of its kind, drawing together an expert group of invited speakers to discuss the complexities, challenges and opportunities of soil policy and governance.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Read more:\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>https:\/\/soils.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/BSSS_WCSS-Soil-Policy-Legacy-Report_Jan-2023_Final_no-crops-compressed.pdf<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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Building on the World Congress\u2019 Impacts<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Following the 22nd World Congress of Soil Science (WCSS) in August 2022, an open letter to the soil science community has been published. With this letter, it is hoped to sustain the legacy of the Congress through sharing lessons learned and as a reference point for future events.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Read more:\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>https:\/\/soils.org.uk\/<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/soils.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/BSSS_Open-Letter_Facing-the-Future-Together.pdf
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General News<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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News from ESDAC Newsletter No 150 (February 2023)<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Soil Health dashboard of the EU Soil Observatory<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Life on earth depends on healthy soils. Yet the new Soil Health dashboard of the EU Soil Observatory (EUSO) estimates that 61.5% of EU soils are unhealthy, with strong implications for the supply of ecosystem services that keep us alive. With the EUSO Soil Health Dashboard, the JRC provides a spatial assessment of where unhealthy soils may be located in the EU \u2013 and which degradation processes affect them. The EUSO Soil Health Dashboard uses a convergence of evidence methodology, which spatially combines datasets to highlight the intensity and location of 15 soil degradation processes. The resulting map shows, for the first time, where current scientific evidence converges to indicate areas that are likely to be affected by soil degradation. The EUSO Dashboard also shows that the majority of unhealthy soils is in fact to be subject to more than one type of soil degradation, an important finding for the soil restoration agenda. The loss of soil organic carbon (48%), the loss of soil biodiversity (37.5%), and soil erosion by water (32%) are the most prevalent types of soil degradation. The EUSO Soil Health Dashboard will evolve as new scientific data become available (e.g. Horizon Europe\u2019s Soil Mission projects) and with the implementation of EU and national soil policies, in particular the forthcoming EU Soil Health Law\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Read the report:\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>https:\/\/esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu\/esdacviewer\/euso-dashboard
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\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>EARTHQUAKE IN T\u00dcRK\u0130YE: A WITNESSED SOIL SCIENTIST’S PERSPECTIVE<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

With its widespread recognition, soil is a natural resource that offers a vast variety of services. Soil offers components utilized practically everywhere, from the deep extraction of fossil fuels (usage of smectite clay in oil wells) to spacecraft (heat resistant ceramics). Nonetheless, it should not be forgotten that the principal function of the soil is to provide food for all life forms, both directly and indirectly, and that its health should be maintained at the highest possible level for this function. On the other hand, soil isn’t seen as an environment that facilitates ecosystem services, especially in emerging economies, but rather as a piece of land to be built on. Over-settlement places a burden on agricultural lands via fertilization, irrigation, and tillage exceeding the carrying capacity for agricultural production, and soil health degrades irrevocably. The Global Soil Partnership has categorized soil threats into ten categories namely loss of organic matter, erosion, contamination, loss of biodiversity, sealing, acidification, salinization-sodification, compaction, unbalanced nutrition, and waterlogging. Among these, it is clear that the soil sealing is the source of the tragedy for both the soil and the people living in the earthquake zone. Soil-related rules and regulations essentially address scientifically appropriate uses. Yet, public pressure on land committees that will apply these rules and regulations frequently results in the required licenses to liberate agricultural areas for construction. The most striking fact, however, is that while first-class agricultural lands were made available for settlement in the earthquake zone, efforts were also made to develop fields with agricultural productivity limitations like depth and slope. In fact, the situation is so tragic that one might even make the case that multi-story apartments are the best crop to be raised in earthquake-prone agricultural soils. In order to achieve high productivity in soils with limitations, this dilemma forces an excessive use of inputs like fertilizer, irrigation, and processing, which raises food prices while preventing prime soils from breathing owing to construction. In other words, viewing how decisions made in the earthquake region without taking into account the health of the soil and ecosystem severely harm both the soil and the people was the most difficult thing a soil scientist can ever witness. And I am fully aware that the soil is not to blame for this tragedy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Erhan Ak\u00e7a<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Adiyaman Universitesi<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Teknik Bilimler MYO, Turkiye<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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IUSS solidarity<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The IUSS expresses solidarity and encouragement to all the dear Turkish and Syrian colleagues and to the whole population affected by the earthquake, giving auspices for a prompt recovery. For its part, the IUSS is always available to give colleagues with difficulty, support for the engagement with the IUSS activities\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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First EUSO Stakeholders Forum – Young Soil Researchers Forum<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A key element of the European Commission\u2019s EU Soil Observatory (<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>EUSO<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>) is an open, inclusive and dynamic engagement among stakeholders.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

To facilitate this interaction, we organized the first ever\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>EUSO Stakeholder Forum<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>, during which the first\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Young Soil Researchers Forum\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>was arranged. It was a 2.5 hours meeting with 4 parallel sessions targeting specific themes with a number of presentations. The planned sessions and presentations can be consulted in the EUSO Stakeholder Forum\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>agenda<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The 4 session themes were:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n