Best soil management practices
Best practices of soil management in the Alpine region.
Identified are role model soil management practices, demonstrating the potential for sustainable development, environment protection and positive social influence. Best practice influence depends on regional circumstances, such as natural environment, political situation, funding schemes or public opinion.
Sustainable management and the protection of Alpine soil enhance the quality of the Alpine environment and considerably contribute to the provision of soil ecosystem services and the resilience of ecosystems; this, in turn, helps to preserve biodiversity and ensure the well-being of humans. The Soil Conservation Protocol of the Alpine Convention, an international treaty, aims “[to] safeguard the multifunctional role of soil based on the concept of sustainable development.”
In a modest way, this booklet presents seventeen soil management practices in Alpine countries: i.e. Austria, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, and Slovenia. It reflects the diversity of soil and environmental management approaches used in the area, and the existing sustainable soil and nature protection management in different sectors and industries; mainly in agriculture, forestry, sports, and tourism.
We, the Links4Soils project partners, believe that a greater number of better, diverse, holistic and inspiring soil management and protection case studies are practised or developed in the diversity of Alpine countries.
Please check best practices also in Slovenian, Italian and German language.
- Slovenia Forest Service: Integrating soil protection in forest management planning, Pokljuka, Slovenia / Vključevanja varstva tal v načrtovanje gospodarjenja z gozdovi, Pokljuka, Slovenija
- Agricultural Institute of Slovenia: Management practices on ski slopes Vogel and Kranjska Gora (Slovenia) / Prakse upravljanja s tlemi: Smučišče Vogel in Kranjska Gora
- Università degli Studi di Torino, DISAFA: Soil research towards a sustainable mountain vineyard management – limiting soil erosion on steep slopes and preserving cultural heritage; Valle d’Aosta, Italy / Verso una gestione sostenibile dei vigneti di montagna. Buone pratiche per limitare l’erosione idrica. Aosta, Italia
- Università degli Studi di Torino, DISAFA: Preventing hydrogeological risk in Aosta Valley Region, Italy / Gestione sostenibile del suolo nelle piste da sci: il caso studio della Valle d’Aosta
Best practices are grouped into sectors: