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The trouble with soil....

...is that it and the organisms which live in it are not very charismatic or eye-catching.

But the soil and its biodiversity performs some really significant tasks for the survival of ecosystems and for us as part of those ecosystems external site .

Soils can store carbon, they filter water, manage waste by decomposing debris, and that in turn provides us with fertile soil for growing. So we know that these ecological functions of the soil depend fundamentally on the soil's biodiversity.

Out of sight, out of mind?

There are many pressures on and threats to the soil. These are similar to those which threaten biodiversity as a whole such as:

  • damage to or loss of habitat
  • erosion by wind, water and landslide
  • pollution and contamination
  • change in land-use
  • climate change
Find out more about soils and geology in this website at Safeguarding Geodiversity and Scotland's rocks, landforms and soils.