Soil organisms play a crucial role in providing essential ecosystem services, including nutrient cycling, pest control, water retention, and climate regulation. However, the relationships between key soil organisms and the delivery of these services in different land use types are not well understood. BIOservicES aims to address this knowledge gap by assembling a multidisciplinary team of specialists to study the functions of soil ecosystems and the services provided by soil organisms. The team will also develop new indicators, tools, and incentives to identify and monitor keystone soil organisms that contribute to the delivery of ecosystem services in European land uses.
Current research sites offer limited information on soil biodiversity and its connection to ecosystem services. BIOservicES plans to use 25 experimental sites across five biogeographic regions, covering eight land uses, to develop a toolbox of keystone soil biological indicators. This toolbox will help establish the aforementioned links and facilitate land planning and decision-making. Additionally, BIOservicES will investigate the impact of climate change on soil functionality and ecosystem service delivery, particularly in low-diversity systems.
BIOservicES aims to quantify the scaling potential and impacts of soil sustainability innovations, recognizing the importance of private investment and institutional arrangements in soil health conservation. The project will assign monetary values to marketed and non-marketed ecosystem services associated with soil organisms. This approach aims to overcome barriers to transitioning to sustainable land management that relies on healthy, biodiverse soils.
Regional Coordination Alpine Space, Task leader WP2.6
