Fertile soils are a prerequisite for plant production and the fundamental basis for terrestrial bio-economic value chains. In a sustainable development perspective, the performance of soils in providing high yields have to be integrated with the provision of a wide range of ecosystem services. These include habitats for organisms and gene pools (biodiversity), cleaning of water and air, nutrient cycling, greenhouse gas mitigation, carbon sequestration, buffering of weather extremes, cooling, flood control, cultural assets, recreation and human health assets. At the same time, sustainable soil management implies the efficient utilization of natural resources including water, energy, land, and nutrients. The resource efficient optimization of such soil services requires a systemic understanding of the biological, chemical and physical processes interacting in the soil system as well as its dynamics with soil management. BonaRes conducts research to improve the evidence base for sustainable soil management.
