Soil erosion: Special Issue published in the International Soil and Water Conservation Journal
The special issue entitled “Soil erosion assessment tools and data; creation, consolidation, and harmonization – A special issue from the Global Symposium on Soil Erosion 2019 (Rome, FAO HQ)” reflects some examples of the research presented during the Global Symposium on Soil Erosion (GSER19) held at the Headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome from 15 to 19 May 2019.
This special issue presents advances in soil erosion research with a focus on new tools that are being used to assess soil erosion rates. This publication includes eleven selected contributions presented at the GSER19 dealing with erosion indicators’ improvement, the use of remote sensing, nuclear techniques and geochemical fingerprinting as promising methods to assess soil losses, management practices that reduce soil erosion and their modelling, and national and regional erosion assessments.
The presented studies exemplify the complexity associated with soil erosion estimates and soil erosion policy intended to move us towards sustainable development goals. The literature is rich with soil erosion research, yet soil erosion caused land degradation remains critically high, which was the fundamental reason for holding the GSER. Building bridges to improve our soil erosion knowledge by sharing science between international partners is a very positive step. However, investing in data development will bring the next major advance in our science of soil erosion and the improvement of global soil resources.