Soil and groundwater research report I

European Commission Directorate-General For The Information Society And Media Directorate-General For Research And Innovation

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Soil survey - a basis for European soil protection: Proceedings of the meeting of European Heads of Soil Survey, 11 to 13 December 1989, Silsoe, UK
Environment policy and protection of the environment
Environmental research

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• Publié par: EUROPEAN-COMMISSION-DIRECTORATE-GENERAL-FOR-THE-INFORMATION-SOCIETY-AND-MEDIA-DI
• Nombre de lectures: 13
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 6 Mo

Extrait

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SOIL SURVEY ­ A BASIS FOR
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Commission of the European Communities
SOIL AND GROUNDWATER RESEARCH REPORT
SOIL SURVEY - A BASIS FOR
EUROPEAN SOIL PROTECTION
Proceedings of the meeting of European Heads
of Soil Survey, 11 to 13 December 1989, Silsoe, UK
Edited by:
J. M. Hodgson
Soil Survey and Land Research Centre
Silsoe Campus
Silsoe
Bedford MK45 4DT
United Kingdom
Directorate-General for Science, Research and De eve a^efrt EURnp UU[L
Environmental research programme
1991 i'-C EUR 13340 EN Published by the
COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
Directorate-General
Telecommunications, Information Industries and Innovation
L-2920 Luxembourg
LEGAL NOTICE
Neither the Commission of the European Communities nor any person acting
on behalf of then is responsible for the use which might be made of
the following information
Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication
Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 1991
ISBN 92-826-2357-2 Catalogue number: CD-NA-13340-EN-C
© ECSC-EEC-EAEC, Brussels • Luxembourg, 1991
Printed in Belgium Preface
A European Community Working Group on Land Use and Rural Resources recommended in 1978 the
preparation of a soil map of the EC countries using data already collected by FAO for compilation of a soil
map of Europe. This recommendation was supported and an Advisory Panel with representatives from each
member state was set up to prepare such a map. The map, at a scale of 1:1,000,000, was published together
with an Explanatory Text in 1985. The Explanatory Text provided not only a background to the map but also
included a chapter on the state of soil survey in each of the member countries. In effect, it gave the progress
in soil mapping in the EC as of 1982/3.
Since this time there has been no comprehensive collaborative meeting of Soil Survey organizations in the
EC and no overall review of progress has been presented. Yet there has been a radical change in the degree
of interest in soils in the EC in this period. As well as continuing concern to achieve an optimum level of
agricultural productivity in the EC, there has been a fast-growing appreciation of the importance of soils in an
environment context. Topical issues such as acid rain, soil erosion, land contamination, land degradation,
climate change, water quality, water resources, soil protection, and sustainable land use, all have soils as the
central or important supporting theme. Never before has there been more interest and more need for information
about soils, the processes operative in them, their properties and distribution and the uses to which they can
be put.
Recognizing the need for this information and an update of the state of soil surveys, the EC agreed to
sponsor a meeting of representatives of the chief Soil Survey organizations in the EC. The meeting was held
at the Soil Survey and Land Research Centre, Silsoe, UK in December 1989. Representatives of all EC countries
apart from Luxembourg were present, together with representatives from Directorates XI and XII of the
Commission. The Meeting was divided into three parts: Soil Mapping in the European Community, Soil Surveys
as a Support for Soil Protection Policies, and Future Needs for, and Organization of, Soil Information. The
proceedings of the Meeting and the recommendations arising from it are given in the following Chapters.
The information available on soils varies greatly from country to country. In view of the fact that, together
with water, soils represent the most important natural resource in the EC, it is recommended that steps should
be taken to ensure a reasonable level of information for all countries and that emphasis be placed on assembling
an adequate database. Such information is fundamental to future land use and environmental protection.
P. Bullock,
Soil Survey and Land Research Centre,
Silsoe, UK. Editor's Note
I would like to thank all the contributors for their ready responses to my queries and their tolerance of my
idiosyncrasies. Their friendly co-operation has made an otherwise onerous task a pleasure.
I would particularly like to acknowledge the editorial assistance of Mrs CM. Gosney who not only re-drafted
the edited scripts and typeset the camera ready copy but also kept me in order. Her patience and diligence are
much appreciated.
J.M. Hodgson
IV Contents
Preface HI
SOIL MAPPING IN THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY
1. Soil mapping in Belgium (Van Orshoven, Vandenbroucke, Cammaer and Feyen) 1
2. Soilg in France and its application (Jamagne, Bornand and Hardy) 7
3. Soil mapping in Denmark-The Danish soil database (Madsen) 17
4. Soilg in England and Wales (Bullock) 2
5. Soil mapping and land evaluation research in Ireland (Lee) 39
6. Soilg in the Federal Republic of Germany (Oelkers) 5
7. Soil mapping in Greece (Aggelides and Theocharopoulos) 61
8. Soilg in Italy (Calzolari, Magaldi and Sanesi)5
9. Soil mapping in the Netherlands (van derPouw) 73
10. Soil mapping in Northern Ireland (Cruickshank)
11. Soilg in Spain (Ibanez, Rubio, Lopez-Lafuente and Monturiol) 8
12. Soil mapping in Portugal (Bessa) 9
13. Soilg in Scotland (Bibby)
SOIL SURVEYS AS SUPPORT FOR SOIL PROTECTION POLICIES
14. The application of soil survey in Belgium as a basis for soil protection (Van Orshoven,
Deckers and Feyen) 107
15. Soil protection in the Federal German Republic - organization and measures (Heineke) 115
16. The application of soil survey to soil protection in Italy (Calzolari, Sanesi and Torri) 12
17. Application of soil maps to soil protection in Portugal (Bessa) 12
18. Thoughts on soil protection in the European Community (Nychas) 131
19. Concepts and principles of soil protection policies- the role of soil survey (Bullock)9
20. Current threats to soils and ecosystems in Denmark (Stougaard and Madsen) 14
21.t threats to soils ands in Greece (Theocharopoulos and Aggelides) 15
22. Currents to soils and ecosystems in Spain (Ibanez, Fernandez-Gonzalez and Bello) 163
TOWARDS THE FUTURE - THE NEED FOR, AND ORGANIZATION OF, SOIL
INFORMATION
23. The use of a Geographical Information System to assess crop production potential within the
European Community (Bregt, van Lanen, Bulins, van Diepen, de Koning and Reinds) 169
24. The principles for construction of an EC-Soil Database System (Madsen) 173
25. Mapping methods for the 1990s and beyond (Jamagne and King) 181
26. The European soil map and beyond (Lee) 197
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Conclusions and recommendations 21
Names and addresses of authors and participants3
V SOIL MAPPING IN BELGIUM
J. Van Orshoven, D. Vandenbroucke, R. Cammaer and J. Feyen
INTRODUCTION
The organization of the Belgian soil survey and the methodology and scales of mapping used were broadly
reviewed in the explanatory text accompanying the Soil Map of Europe 1:2,500,000 (FAO 1966). A later
overview is included in the explanatory text of the 1:1,000,000 Soil Map of the European Communities (CEC
1985). The present paper focuses on the progress of the survey to 1989 and the applications made recently. It
also looks at the future of soil survey and related activities.
STATE OF PROGRESS
Soil survey in Belgium is undertaken under the auspices of the "Committee for the Establishment of the Soil
and Vegetation Map of Belgium" which was founded in 1947 and sponsored by the "Institute for Encouraging
Scientific Research in Industry and Agriculture" (IWONL/IRSIA). By 1989 the identification, classification
and mapping of Belgian soils was almost complete. The fieldwork was conducted by soil survey centres which
were linked with the Agricultural Faculties of the universities of Gembloux, Leuven and Gent. The centre at
Gent was entrusted with the overall coordination and supervision under the direction of Professor Tavernicr.
Soil analyses were carried out by university laboratories affiliated with the survey centres.
The national map legend is based upon a morpho-genetic soil classification system in which the soil series
forms the basic unit. Soil series are identified by three major characteristics of the soil profile all observable
by augering: soil texture, natural drainage class and degree of profile development. A number of soil variants
and soil phases are taken into account.
To date 375 of the 457 national map sheets each covering 80 km2 at a scale of 1:20,000, hav