NSP - Soil biodiversity
 

Introduction

Soil biodiversity at all scales


Welcome to the FAO’s soil biodiversity web site.

Soil is one of the most fundamental and precious resources on the planet and the organisms which live in soil are essential to our well being. Although most of the organisms are invisible to the naked eye, they all contribute to keeping our soil healthy and in sustaining our lives. The activity below the soil surface has a tremendous impact - from the growth of plants, to the production of food, feed and fiber, to clean water and climate change. We must protect the living soil to ensure our future.

This web site gives an introduction to soil biodiversity. It explains why it is important and can be used as a resource for information on soil biodiversity.

 

News and Events

First Open Meeting for the Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative (GSBI)
The Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative will host its first Open Meeting immediately after the Planet Under Pressure Conference in London, England on March 30th. We encourage all, including Planet Under Pressure attendees, to join us as we discuss the future direction of the GSBI. We are particularly interested in your input during a working session where we will identify examples of why soil biodiversity matters, identify the available data that supports these examples, and determine the priorities for next steps for the Initiative.
The ExCel Center, London | Friday, March 30th | 9:00am - 3:00pm

JRC publishes European atlas of soil biodiversity
The JRC published in 2010, for the first time, an indicator-based map of potential threats to soil biodiversity, in order to guide decision-makers in protecting this crucial resource
http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/jrc/index.cfm?id=1410&obj_id=11590&dt_code=NWS&lang=en