Periodic Reporting for period 1 - BIOservicES (LINKING SOIL BIODIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS AND SERVICES IN DIFFERENT LAND USES: FROM THE IDENTIFICATION OF DRIVERS, PRESSURES AND CLIMATE CHANGE RESILIENCE TO THEIR ECONOMIC VALUATION)
Berichtszeitraum: 2023-09-01 bis 2025-02-28
There is a lack of information about how soil organisms are involved in the delivery of ecosystem functions and services, hindering their inclusion in monitoring and restoration programmes and investments. BIOservicES will, for 60 months, gather a multidisciplinary team of soil scientists, ecologists, biologists, agronomists, foresters, applied economists, public agencies, consulting and advisor SMEs, modellers, statisticians, social innovators, public administration and experts in stakeholders engagement and in communication and dissemination activities, to provide new knowledge about the soil ecosystem functions and services associated to soil organisms and develop new indicators, tools and incentives to identify and monitor the keystone soil organisms that contribute to the delivery of ecosystem services in European land uses. For this, we will work on 25 experimental sites distributed across five biogeographic regions (Alpine (Switzerland), Atlantic (Spain), Boreal (Latvia), Continental (Germany) and Mediterranean (Spain)), covering eight different land uses (urban, industrial, agricultural, forestry, mining, (semi)-natural, wetland and dryland). Three different management intensities will be selected per land use to assess pressures and drivers, and adaptation capacity and resilience to climate change. After soil sampling in all experimental sites, there will be a characterization of soil biodiversity (archaea, bacteria, fungi, protists, nematodes, microarthropods, earthworms, isopods, millipedes, insects and spiders) and ecosystem functions and services by measures of specific variables. This will be agreed with stakeholders (social science and multi-actor approach) and EU/international organizations (harmonization methods) to define and build suitable indicators. Then, we will develop computational tools with Artificial Intelligence elements (statistical learning, machine learning) to upscale the experimental results to: i) elucidate the interconnection between keystone soil organisms, soil structure and ecosystem functions and services, identifying drivers and pressures, ii) perform time and spatial predictions under climate change scenarios, and iii) upscale the relationship between organisms and ecosystem functions and services from field to landscape level. Marketed and non-marketed economic valuation will be performed to translate the biophysical values of the ecosystem services to end-user language and to foster investments. Policy and incentive analysis will promote that keystone organisms related to key ecosystem services are included in monitoring/conservation/restoration plans. Thus, BIOservicES will deliver knew knowledge, digital decision-support tools and models and policy briefs and recommendations (digital agenda) to identify key soil organisms related to key ecosystem services, select the best strategies/management to enhance the delivery of ecosystem services related to key soil organisms under climate change, promote private and public investments in soil health, and facilitate international partnerships, mostly addressed to landowners, decision makers and policy makers.
We have achieved the identification and engagement of stakeholders across all 25 experimental sites. By working closely with regional coordinators, we have ensured that relevant stakeholders, including land managers, policymakers, researchers, and practitioners, can be actively involved in the project. The identification and involvement of stakeholders has strengthened existing networks and created opportunities for new collaborations. Additionally, we have explored how BIOservicES’ experimental sites can contribute to the establishment of two new Living Labs. This research supports the development of innovative partnerships that integrate soil biodiversity considerations into land-use planning, reinforcing the project’s role as a central hub for co-creation and knowledge exchange.To further facilitate engagement, WP1 has systematically planned co-creation activities across the project timeline. BIOservicES has expanded the reach and functionality of the collaborative platform initially developed under the Mission Soil InBestSoil project. Now rebranded as the Soil Community Platform, it serves as a central digital hub for engagement, knowledge exchange, and cross-project collaboration. A comprehensive list of soil health indicators was selected after reviewing past and ongoing H2020 and Horizon Europe projects. This selection process was followed by a participatory approach to identify the most relevant ecosystem services and the best indicators for their quantification. As a result, a toolkit of soil health indicators and a harmonized methodology for soil sampling and measurements was developed and implemented across all experimental sites. Soil was collected in all experimental sites between April-July 2024. In parallel, a study assessing the impact of climate change on the functionality of soil organisms was setup in July 2024. All soil samples were distributed among project partners for soil characterization, and analyses commenced and is in process. We have also identified the ecosystem services associated with soil organisms in each land use and biogeographic region and the economic and soil health indicators that will be used for the ecosystem service valuation. An integrated framework and research methodology protocol for the economic valuation of the selected ecosystem services was designed. A systematic review to map policy and economic incentives for soil biodiversity was initiated. Further, the process of identification of stakeholders to conduct an ex-post assessment of selected policy schemes has started.
•ER1: Stakeholders map for existing experimental sites, international initiatives and upcoming living labs. Identification of the key stakeholders in soil health in all experimental sites and international initiatives to facilitate the creation of new partnerships among sectors to establish innovations to enhance soil health and invest in soil health. They ensure that all relevant groups are effectively involved in shaping project results and outcomes.
•ER10: Integrated framework and research methodology protocol for the economic valuation of ES. Framework for the economic valuation of soil ecosystem services (ES) with standardization of ES provided by soils and their contributions to human wellbeing. The framework integrates soil properties, soil biodiversity and human needs and preferences. Therefore, this result provides the basis for stakeholders to understand how soil biodiversity may impact on human wellbeing through modelling the provision of soil ES, as well as the way in which it can be measured.
•ER10: Integrated framework and research methodology protocol for the economic valuation of ES. Framework for the economic valuation of soil ecosystem services (ES) with standardization of ES provided by soils and their contributions to human wellbeing. The framework integrates soil properties, soil biodiversity and human needs and preferences. Therefore, this result provides the basis for stakeholders to understand how soil biodiversity may impact on human wellbeing through modelling the provision of soil ES, as well as the way in which it can be measured.