Scientific Basis for Soil Protection in the European Community

619 Pages·1987·13.863 MB·English

by  Ph. Bourdeau (auth.), H. Barth, P. L’Hermite (eds.)

SCIENTIFIC BASIS FOR SOIL PROTECTION
IN THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY
Proceedings of a symposium organised by
-the Commission of the European Communities, Directorate-General
Science, Research and Development
-the Senate of Berlin
under the patronage of
-Dr Karl-Heinz Narjes, Vice-President of the Commission of the
European Communities
and
-Dr Walter Wallmann, Bundesminister fUr Umwelt, Naturschutz und
Reaktorsicherheit, Bundesrepublik Deutschland
and held in Berlin 6-8 October 1986
SCIENTIFIC BASIS FOR
SOIL PROTECTION IN THE
EUROPEAN COMMUNITY
Edited by
H. BARTH and P. L'HERMITE
Commission of the European Communities,
Brussels, Belgium
ELSEVIER APPLIED SCIENCE
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WITH 104 TABLES AND 97 ILLUSTRATIONS
© ECSC, EEC, EAEC, BRUSSELS AND LUXEMBOURG, 1987
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1s t edition 1987
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Scientific basis for soil protection
in the European Community.
I. Soil conservation-European Economic
Community countries
I. Barth, H. II. L'Hermite, P.
631.4'94 S625.E87
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Scientific basis for soil protection in the European
Community.
Includes index.
I. Soil protection-European Economic Community
countries-Congresses. 2. Soil protection-Congresses.
I. Barth, H. II. L'Hermite, P. (Pierre), 1936-
S625.E88S35 1987 363.7'396 87-9227
ISBN-13: 978-94-010-8045-3 e-ISBN-13: 978-94-009-3451-1
DOl: 10.107/978-94-009-3451-1
Publication arrangements by Commission of the European Communities, Directorate
General Telecommunications, Information Industries and Innovation, Luxembourg
EUR 10870
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CONTENTS
Introduction .
Soil Protection Strategy in the Community 5
G. SCHNEIDER (Directorate-General for the Environment, Con-
sumer Protection and Nuclear Safety, Commission of the European
Communities)
Session I: Soil Protection-A Need for a European Programme?
Wasting Europe's Heritage-The Need for Soil Protection 17
G. H. Moss (Graham Moss Associates, United Kingdom)
Land Resources and their Use in the European Communities 29
J. LEE (The Agricultural Institute, Johnstown Castle Research
Centre, Ireland)
The Production Potential of Soils: Part I-Sensitivity of Principal
Soil Types to the Intensive Agriculture of North-Western Europe 65
N. FEDOROFF (National Institute of Agronomy, France)
The Production Potential of Soils: Part II-Sensitivity of the Soil
Systems in Southern Europe to Degrading Influxes 87
N. J. YASSOGLOU (Faculty of Agriculture, University of Athens,
Greece)
Sensitivity of European Soils Related to Pollutants 123
O. FRANZLE (Geographical Institute, Kiel University, Federal
Republic of Germany)
v
vi Contents
Sensitivity of European Soils to Ultimate Physical Degradation 147
R. P. C. MORGAN (Cranfield Institute of Technology, Silsoe
College, United Kingdom)
Session II: Assessment of Impacts on the Soil Environment
Effects of Agricultural Practices on the Physical, Chemical and
Biological Properties of Soils: Part I-Effect of Some Agricultural
Practices on the Biological Soil Fertility 161
W. BALLONI and F. F AVILLI (Istituto di Microbiologia Agraria e
Tecnica, Universita di Firenze, Italy)
Effects of Agricultural Practices on the Physical, Chemical and
Biological Properties of Soils: Part II-Use of Sewage Sludge and
Agricultural Wastes 181
D. SAUERBECK (Plant Nutrition and Soil Science Institute, Federal
Agricultural Research Centre, Federal Republic of Germany)
Effects of Agricultural Practices on the Physical, Chemical and
Biological Properties of Soils: Part III-Chemical Degradation of
Soil as the Result of Use of Mineral Fertilizers and Pesticides:
Aspects of Soil Quality Evaluation 211
F. A. M. DE HAAN (Department of Soil Science and Plant
Nutrition, Agricultural University, Wageningen, The Netherlands)
Effects of Forestry Practices on the Chemical, Biological and
Physical Properties of Soils . 237
H. G. MILLER (Department of Forestry, University of Aberdeen,
UK)
Impacts on Soils Related to Industrial Activities: Part I-Effects of
Abandoned Waste Disposal Sites and Industrial Sites on the Soil:
Possible Remedial Measures 247
V. FRANZIUS (Federal Environment Agency, Federal Republic of
Germany)
Impacts on Soils Related to Industrial Activities: Part 11-
Incidental and Accidental Soil Pollution 259
E. E. FINNECY (Environmental Safety Centre, Harwell, UK)
Impacts on Soils Related to Industrial Activities: Part III-Effect of
Metal Mines on Soil Pollution 281
L. LAVILLE-TIMSIT (BRGM, France)
Contents vii
Impacts on Soils Related to Industrial Activities: Part IV-Effects
of Air Pollutants on the Soil 299
B. ULRICH (Institutfur Bodenkunde und Walderniihrung, Univer-
sity of G6ttingen, Federal Republic of Germany)
Irrigation and Drainage for Improvement of Wet and Saline Soils.
Reference to Portuguese Conditions 313
L. S. PEREIRA, E. C. SOUSA and L. A. PEREIRA (High Institute of
Agronomy, Technical University of Lisbon, Portugal)
Impact of Recreational and Tourist Activities on the Soil
Environment 343
C. A. CASSIOS (Department of Surveying and Rural Planning,
National Technical University, Athens, Greece)
Soil Losses from Erosion in Relation to Urbanism and
Infrastructure 355
D. GABRIELS (Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of
Ghent, Belgium)
Session III: The State of European Soils-Recovery, Protection and
Strategies for Prevention
Treatment and Reutilisation of Contaminated Sites 363
R. GOUBIER (ANRED, France)
Land Suitability Evaluation in Major Agro-ecological Zones and its
Application in Land Use Planning and Nature Protection . 377
W. H. VERHEYE (Geological Institute, University of Ghent,
Belgium)
Optimizing the Use of Soils: New Agricultural and Water
Management Aspects . 389
J. H. A. M. STEENVOORDEN (Institute for Land and Water
Management Research (ICW), The Netherlands)
J. BOUMA (Netherlands Soil Survey Institute (Stiboka), The
Netherlands)
viii Contents
Soil Protection-Changes in Soil Characteristics and Species
Dynamics: Landscape and Land Use Planning Requirements 409
G. KAULE (lnstitut fur Landschaftsplanung, University of
Stuttgart, Federal Republic of Germany)
The Soil Protection Plan in the Federal Republic of Germany 423
B. DELMHORST (Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature
Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Federal Republic of Germany)
Soil Protection Programmes and Strategies in Other Community
Member States: Examples from The Netherlands 429
1. E. T. MOEN and W. 1. K. BRUGMAN (Ministry of Housing,
Physical Planning and Environment, Soil and Groundwater
Division, The Netherlands)
Soil Protection Programmes and Strategies in Other Community
Member States: Setting up of an Observation Network for Soil
Quality in France 437
A. GOMEZ and C. JUSTE (Station d'Agronomie, INRA, France)
Soil Protection Programmes and Strategies in Other Community
Member States: The UK Approach to Soil and Landscape
Protection 445
P. J. W. SAUNDERS (Department of the Environment, UK)
Soil Protection in Switzerland 461
R. HABERLI (National SoillResearch!Programme, Schweizerischer
Nationalfond zur Forderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung,
Switzerland)
Strategies for Soil Protection under Intensive Irrigation in Israel 471
A. FEIGIN (Institute ofS oils and Water, ARO, The Volcani Center,
Israel)
Chemical Fate Modelling in Soil Systems: A State-of-the-Art
Review 487
M. BONAZOUNTAS (Department of Civil Engineering, National
Technical University, Athens, Greece)
Contents IX
Session IV: Conclusions, Recommendations and Research Needs
Research Needs in Soil Protection: The Federal Ministry of
Research and Technology's Soil Research Programme 569
G. KLOSTER (Ecology Division, Nuclear Research Centre, Jiilich,
Federal Republic of Germany)
Report on Session I: Soil Protection-A Need for a European
Programme? . 581
P. BULLOCK (Soil Survey of England and Wales, UK)
Report on Session II: Assessment of Impacts on the Soil
Environment 589
G. VIGNA-GUIDI (CNR Institute for ISoil Chemistry, Italy)
M. SHERWOOD (Johnstown Castle Research Centre, Ireland)
Overall conclusions 595
D. 1. KUENEN (Council for Environment and Nature Research
(RMNO), Rijswijk, The Netherlands)
List of Participants 603
Introduction
PH. BOURDEAU
Directorate-General Science. Research and Development.
Commission of the European Communities. Brussels. Belgium
We are living on a unique planet, the only one in the solar system where life
exists. The very existence of life has modified the physical and chemical
environment of the earth, its atmosphere and oceans, in a way that makes
life sustainable. This system with its complex cybernetic mechanisms has
been named GAIA by Lovelock. Man has always interfered with it on a
more or less limited scale. This interference is now reaching global
proportions such as climate modifications resulting from CO and trace gas
2
accumulation in the atmosphere or the destruction of stratospheric ozone,
not to speak of global radioactive contamination. GAIA will probably
prevail as a living system but it probably does not give much importance to
man's survival as such, and it is man that has to take care of his own
survival.
In the ecosystem of Planet Earth, soils are the thin interface between
lithosphere and atmosphere which constitutes the essential substrate for
the terrestrial biosphere, the productivity of which far exceeds that of the
oceans, even though the latter cover a much larger area than the continents.
Soils themselves are complex systems. They develop through weathering
of minerals, are colonised by living organisms which in turn modify their
substrate making it suitable for other organisms. This induces a primary
ecological succession which eventually reaches a climax, in equilibrium
between climate, soil and the biological communities.
Soils play also an essential role in the biogeochemical cycles, acting as
sinks and sources, and filtering the flow of aqueous solutions to the water
table.
Man has disturbed ecological equilibria in soils by burning the
1