Nowadays, soil degradation is a major issue for the environment, ecosystem services, and climate regulation. Forest and agricultural systems are particularly sensitive to degradation processes such as desertification, erosion, salinisation, and pollution caused by both climatic and anthropogenic factors. Changes in precipitation regimes with rising average temperatures can alter soil water balance, leading to water deficits, nutrient losses, and increased soil salinity. Similarly, inadequate land management practices can increase physical and chemical disturbances that affect soil quality and biodiversity.
This contribution aims to host recent observations on different scales, from monitoring networks with long-term observations to remote sensing, illustrating the processes and the effects of soil degradation, resistance, and resilience across different contexts and land uses. We expect to shed some light on how changes in land use, deforestation, intensive cultivation, or excessive use of agrochemicals can affect depletion of soil properties and quality.
In parallel, we will discuss on current and potentially new approaches to reversing soil degradation using sustainable and resilient practices in the fields of conservation agriculture, agroforestry, organic fertilizers and soil amendments, methods to prevent erosion, and control soil salinity. These practices have positive effects on soil, improving its structure, water retention, biological activity, and helping to mitigate extreme weather events. We also believe that combining observation series with participatory methods and policy frameworks will help to enhance effective soil conservation measures.
Finally, this combined vision, moving from issues related to both soil forest and agricultural contexts to the effects of sustainable approaches into soil resources management, looks to contribute to long-terms soil conservation, productivity and multifunctionality.