Global Soil Biodiversity Atlas

sheeja's picture

The whole life depends on soil, which is an important habitat for thousand millions of organisms. Soil biodiversity is extremely diverse in shapes, colours, sizes and functions. The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC) publishes the first-ever Global Soil Biodiversity Atlas which maps the soil biodiversity of the entire planet. Soil biodiversity is globally distributed, from deserts to polar regions through grasslands, forests, urban and agricultural areas and it supports many services essential to human beings: plant growth, water and climate regulation, and disease control, among others. The publication describes not only the diversity of soil habitats, but it also draws attention to the threats to soil biodiversity, such as invasive species, pollution, intensive land use practices or climate change. The Atlas provides current solutions for a sustainable management of soils.

Main Topic: 
Mark Content Private(Internal): 
External URL: 
http://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/public_path/JRC_global_soilbio_atlas_online.pdf
Email Alert: 
180
Publication Date: 
25/05/2016
Document Type: