Soils and desertification

The soil is home to a quarter of the planet's terrestrial biodiversity. It is the most diverse component of terrestrial ecosystems and includes representatives of all biological domains. The vast majority are microscopic organisms (bacteria, archaea, fungi, algae, protozoa), with an enormous representation of micro-, meso- and macrofauna (nematodes, tardigrades, arthropods, mollusks and annelids, among others).

Edaphic diversity is extremely variable between ecosystems, since it is linked to climatic conditions, the physical and chemical properties of the soil, and its management. Likewise, soil biodiversity determines essential ecosystem services, such as its capacity to sequester carbon, the provision of nutrients for vegetation, the transformation of polluting substances and the control of emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. For this reason, the loss of edaphic diversity is one of the threats that affects the multifunctionality of the soil, as well as one of the information gaps at the European level, as stated in the SOER 2020 report of the European Environment Agency.

For this reason, the loss of edaphic diversity is one of the threats that affects the multifunctionality of the soil, as well as one of the information gaps at the European level, as stated in the SOER 2020 report of the European Environment Agency.