Ensuring soils are healthy: both now and in the future
Healthy soils are essential for our prosperity and well-being. However, healthy soils are increasingly under pressure due to growing demands on land and the impacts of climate change. As a result, soils are once again prominently featuredon both national and international agendas. Deltares works with policymakers and businesses to ensure healthy soils for future generations. By integrating our knowledge of water, soil, and sediment systems into spatial planning, we contribute to sustainable land use for the future.
The ground beneath our feet not only forms the foundation of our food system; soils also ensure clean water, support nature, and biodiversity. They also mitigate the effects of climate change, such as extreme rainfall and heat. Healthy soils provide critical ecosystem services to society, such as water storage, restoration of nature and biodiversity, and natural cooling and heating.
At the same time, these ecosystem services are increasingly under pressure due to how we use land. We are placing greater demands on underground space—for parking, storage, housing, sewer systems, and cables—while also needing that space for water storage, energy provision, and tree roots. On top of that, we rely on a stable ground layer for buildings and infrastructure. All these competing land uses place significant demands on soils and subsurfaces.
More knowledge is needed to safeguard healthy soils, especially in urban areas. For instance, transforming former industrial sites often requires soil remediation. In areas with soft soils and subsidence, extensive measures are needed to prevent damage to infrastructure. A major challenge for provinces and municipalities is to integrate soil and subsurface considerations into spatial planning in a way that allows land use and soil conditions to reinforce each other. Furthermore, how do we define what constitutes a healthy soil?
Deltares develops and shares knowledge about urban and industrial soils through various programmes and projects. We work with a range of partners, including governments, businesses, research institutions, and citizen initiatives. Deltares demonstrates how to integrate natural soil, sediment, and water systems into spatial planning, and what this integration can achieve. We support decision-making through practical examples and concrete tools. Together with our partners, we create solutions for healthy urban soils and sustainable spatial development.
By integrating soil and subsurface into spatial planning and linking them to land use, we can tackle challenges such as drought, heat stress, waterlogging, biodiversity, the energy transition, and failing infrastructure.
Linda Maring, soil and subsurface expertd
