Identifying Gaps between the Legislative Tools of Soil Protection in the EU Member States for a Common European Soil Protection Legislation

Stankovics, Petra; Tóth, Gergely; Tóth, Zoltán

doi:10.3390/su10082886

Cited by 24 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Even if the preservation of the soil is crucial for human well-being and for the sustainability of ecosystems, at present in the EU there is a lack of specific legislation to protect the soil. The attempt promoted by the EU Commission to design a community framework for soil protection, the Soil Framework Directive, was withdrawn in 2014 [16]. Consequently, soil legislation was extremely fragmented across EU countries, governance levels, and policy domains [17,18].…”

Section: Soil Sealing In Europe and Italymentioning

confidence: 99%

Biotope Area Factor: An Ecological Urban Index to Geovisualize Soil Sealing in Padua, Italy

et al. 2019

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Over the last few years, soil sealing has been recognized as one of the major threats in terms of soil degradation and loss of ecosystem services. Although many efforts have been promoted to increase the awareness of safeguarding soil for stakeholders, its value as a non-renewable resource as well as soil-related services in urban ecosystems is not implemented enough in urban planning and policies. Due to the spatially explicit component and the geographical scale of soil sealing, mapping and quantifying the number of sealed surfaces is crucial. The aim of this paper was to estimate and geovisualize the soil sealed in the city of Padua (Italy) at a very detailed scale, testing the use of the Biotope Area Factor (BAF) index. Moreover, the paper aimed to simulate an alternative mitigation scenario in a specific study area of the city. Spatial analysis was performed testing the BAF index in a Geographic Information Sistem (GIS) environment and using aerial ortho-photos at very high resolution. The results show different values of the BAF index for all four neighborhoods from 0.35 to 0.69. In the mitigation scenario, the value of the BAF index was improved using a measure of green roofs. In conclusion, the paper provides an insightful case study for enriching the debate about soil sealing and gives scientific support for sustainable urban planning.

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Section: Soil Sealing In Europe and Italymentioning

confidence: 99%

Biotope Area Factor: An Ecological Urban Index to Geovisualize Soil Sealing in Padua, Italy

et al. 2019

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“…SFD was considered an interference in domestic policy. The British and German governments asserted that the EU had no business to regulate soil because it is not a cross-border issue (Stankovics, 2018). It is suggested that notwithstanding a majority of the European countries have no legislative text or framework, it is significant to pay attention to the minority which has enacted their own soil protection policy (Scottish Executive, 2007).…”

Section: Political Conflictsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Withdrawal of European Soil Framework Directive: Reasons and Recommendations

Yijia¹

2019

JSD

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The European Soil Framework Directive was the first policy approach of soil protection at the European level. It had an objective to protect soils across Europe and maintain the sustainability of soil functions. Notwithstanding the significance of the directive along with both the current state and the trend of the soil in Europe were negative, it had been strongly blocked by five member states of the European Union since it was adopted in 2006, encompassing the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Austria. The proposal was withdrawn formally on 21 May 2014 by the European Commission without any official statement of reasons. Consequently, this study aimed at the reasons for the withdrawal and the amendments to the directive, which contributed to restoring its role in soil conservation. It ascertained the reasons and proved some recommendations principally via a deductive approach and qualitative research. The results demonstrated that the resistance of the five main blocking countries was the direct factor in the withdrawal. Behind the statements of opponents, financial difficulties and political issues were the possible underlying reasons. Hence, the European Commission could arrange more meetings and change some provisions to eliminate the misunderstanding with its member states. On the other hand, it is sensible for the opponents to be more flexible to deal with the directive, for instance, establishing the benefits from the articles as well as more approaches for solving the problem of financial shortage.

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“…Two papers provide insights about emerging challenges in the formulation and implementation of soil regulations at the national and supranational levels that do not fully address the requirements of sustainable soil management. Stankovics et al [48] investigate the obstacles, differences, and gaps in soil legislation and administration in five European countries (the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Austria, and The Netherlands) that could not agree on the proposal for a Soil Framework Directive in the EU in 2014. This lack of agreement ultimately resulted in the directive being refused.…”

Section: Governance For Sustainable Soil Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment and Governance of Sustainable Soil Management

et al. 2018

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The globally increasing demand for food, fiber, and bio-based products interferes with the ability of arable soils to perform their multiple functions and support sustainable development. Sustainable soil management under high production conditions means that soil functions contribute to ecosystem services and biodiversity, natural and economic resources are utilized efficiently, farming remains profitable, and production conditions adhere to ethical and health standards. Research in support of sustainable soil management requires an interdisciplinary approach to three interconnected challenges: (i) understanding the impacts of soil management on soil processes and soil functions; (ii) assessing the sustainability impacts of soil management, taking into account the heterogeneity of geophysical and socioeconomic conditions; and (iii) having a systemic understanding of the driving forces and constraints of farmers’ decision-making on soil management and how governance instruments may, interacting with other driving forces, steer sustainable soil management. The intention of this special issue is to take stock of an emerging interdisciplinary research field addressing the three challenges of sustainable soil management in various geographic settings. In this editorial, we summarize the contributions to the special issue and place them in the context of the state of the art. We conclude with an outline of future research needs.

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Identifying Gaps between the Legislative Tools of Soil Protection in the EU Member States for a Common European Soil Protection Legislation

Cited by 24 publications

References 12 publications

Biotope Area Factor: An Ecological Urban Index to Geovisualize Soil Sealing in Padua, Italy

Biotope Area Factor: An Ecological Urban Index to Geovisualize Soil Sealing in Padua, Italy

Withdrawal of European Soil Framework Directive: Reasons and Recommendations

Assessment and Governance of Sustainable Soil Management

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