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SOIL PROTECTION Catalunya - the Balearic Islands / Principality of Andorra

 
 

soil protection (general information)

 

Vienna Soil Declaration

 

soil functions

sustainability criteria

degradation and control processes

soil protection criteria

soil quality indicators

soil maps

what is soil information used fort?

the purpose of soil maps

soil series and correlation

characteristics of a soils map

management and interpretation of soil information on a digital interface

Soil Series and Soil Types catalogue of Catalonia

presentation

criteria

soil Types (> 2010)

soil Series (1993 - 2009)

DEGRADATION AND CONTROL PROCESSES

Degradation process:


Due to the permanent sealing as the result of the construction of housing and infrastructure.


Description:


This is associated with land uses involving housing and constructed infrastructure. It constitutes an irreversible loss of soil due to sealing and is related to land planning strategies and the protection of good quality fertile soils.

Importance: great. Comparisons of aerial photographs of peri-urban zones taken at different points in time show the magnitude of this problem.



Soil functions affected:


Food production (suppressed), hydrological functions (reduction of water absorption, infiltration and filtration); water courses can be affected by concentrations, generating concentrated flows with greater erosive effects on the soils of surrounding areas; the continuity of biodiversity may become fragmented.



Diagnostic criteria:


Soil quality studies. Studies of the proportion of good quality soils lost and what could be considered acceptable within the framework of sustainable development.



Prevention and control:


Promoting social awareness of the importance of protecting the best quality soils should encourage a form of land planning that takes into account the need to protect the best quality soils. In building projects, the topsoil should be removed and stored so that it could be reused in gardens and parks.

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