Operational Unit BEYOND of IAASARS/NOA at Soil Health: Current Status and Future Needs Conference
7-9 October 2024
Chania|Crete
The Conference “Soil Health: Current Status and Future Needs”, which was held on 7-9 October, 2024 at Chania, Crete, gathered scientists, policy makers and stakeholders who exchanged knowledge on soils in a changing world with a focus on the latest developments in the field of soil health.
In the Spotlight
BEYOND Research Associates Nikolaos Stathopoulos and Melpomeni Zoka participated in the conference and organized with Mª Helena Guimarães and Diana Simoes Vieira the concluding session "Soil health: Knowledge Gaps and future challenges" managing to spark a dynamic discussion on knowledge gaps and future priorities for shaping the future research and innovation agenda for soil health.
Nikolaos Stathopoulos co- chaired the Session with Mª Helena Guimarães and coordinated the discussions.
The session commenced with an introduction from Mª Helena Guimarães representing MED - Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE – Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Institute for Advanced Studies and Research, Universidade de Évora. She shared an overview of the Soils for Europe - SOLO project and showcased a roadmap outlining efforts to prevent soil erosion with a presentation entitled "Preliminary assessment of the knowledge gaps to prevent soil erosion".
Please find the relevant published Scoping Document here: https://doi.org/10.3897/soils4europe.e118669
Diana Catarina Simões Vieira who represented European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) followed with a presentation on the Soil Data Centre’s recent monitoring initiative on soil erosion records at plot scale (open-access database (EU_ERPlot)) and invited participants to collaborate.
Melpomeni Zoka, Research Associate from Operational Unit “BEYOND Centre for Earth Observation Research and Satellite Remote Sensing”, Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing, National Observatory of Athens presented the “Soils for Europe” (SOLO) Land Degradation Think Tank activities and the assessment of knowledge gaps in addressing land degradation across Europe.
Please find the relevant published Scoping Document here: https://journal.soils4europe.eu/article/119137/
The workshop continued with dynamic small group discussions, where participants collaboratively reviewed and discussed on the presented roadmaps, identified missing elements, and explored future research priorities. The event concluded with a plenary session that summarized the group insights and offered concluding remarks on the collective path forward for soil health research and innovation.
We extend our deepest thanks to all who participated and contributed to this important conversation.
Together, we are shaping a resilient future for soil health across Europe!
More about the event here: https://healthsoil.org/
