Partner search for HORIZON-MISS-2023-SOIL-01-08, project: SOIL HEALTH LIVING LABS

Short summary Environmental studies centre (belonging to a Public Body-municipality) wants to set up a Living Lab in the municipality with the aim of improving soil health in different land uses through co-design, co-development and co-implementation of locally adapted solutions. Soil health improvement projects focus on forestry and agricultural management, through the testing of innovative practices, on the restoration of degraded and/or potentially contaminated soils, and on urban land management.

Full description Soils are a scarce and threatened resource. It is estimated that between 60% and 70% of soils in the EU are unhealthy, mainly due to unsustainable management practices. Aware of this reality, various initiatives have been launched in different areas with the aim of protecting and improving soil health. The review of municipal planning has concluded that the expansion of the urban area should be based on inward, compact and cohesive growth, avoiding the consumption of new, undeveloped land. This avoids waterproofing and the loss of fertile soils. At present, 74% of the municipality's surface area is classified as Undeveloped Land, a percentage that will increase after the final approval of the new General Urban Development Plan, which foresees the declassification of 5.5 km2. On the other hand, for the last decade, the centre has been promoting a specific line of work for the ecological restoration of degraded soils, promoting soil pollution investigations, forest soils research, soil recovery projects and a Citizen Science Programme for Soil Conservation. In this line of work one main goal is to develop a soil restoration project to create a public park over a 30-ha old gravel pit known as “Larragorri Park” that would finalize the Green Belt parks system. Regarding the role of soil and carbon sequestration, City Sustainable Climate and Energy Action Plan includes as a strategic objective the increase in the capacity of the municipality's CO2 sinks and the increase in the resilience of the rural sector by promoting sustainable agri-food production. Under this objective, the aim is to promote certain land use and land use change activities, such as the sustainable management of agricultural land and pastures, as well as forestry activities, such as afforestation and reforestation, through tree plantations, restoration of degraded areas, and the sustainable management of forests. Finally, the city is part of the "Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission" accepting the mission to be climate-neutral by 2030. In order to achieve this objective, the health of soils plays a fundamental role as CO2 sinks. In this respect, a classification of agricultural soils with a high potential for improvement in terms of soil health and carbon sequestration potential has been selected with the aim of improving soil health and, consequently, soil carbon sequestration. These soils, together with the municipality's forests, are the ones that take on the role of carbon sinks as contemplated in the "Climate City Contract" derived from the participation in the "Cities Mission". As a result of these policies, the city has enormous potential to become a Living Lab associated with the Soil Mission. The municipality can make available different spaces where to co-create, test and implement solutions for the recovery of soil health.

Advantages and innovations Test innovative strategies for the restoration of soil health applied to different land uses: forestry, agriculture, livestock, potentially contaminated soils, industrial and urban.

Technical Specification or Expertise Sought Test innovative strategies for the restoration of soil health applied to different land uses: forestry, agriculture, livestock, potentially contaminated soils, industrial and urban

Contact / source: NEXT EEN Widgets (europa.eu)