The focus on soil protection: WWF warns of alarming soil loss in Austria

The focus on soil protection: WWF warns of alarming soil loss in Austria

on World Floor Day, December 5th, the Nature conservation association and the WWF call up for urgent attention for our soils. The nature conservation association emphasizes that soils are not only the basis for our food production, but also provide decisive ecosystem services. They protect drinking water resources, store carbon and are essential for species protection. Nevertheless, Austria faces an alarming reality: Around 16 soccer fields, about 80 square meters per minute, are lost every day, valuable soil for construction projects. This is a hollow of the university that can no longer be ignored, WWF floor protection expert Simon Pories found.

alarming numbers and upcoming challenges

pories warns that this wasteful handling of soils endangered food supply and that resilience is weakening against future crises. Sealed areas increase the effects of weather extremes, those scenarios that will increase through the climate crisis. In order to meet these challenges, the WWF calls for binding upper limits for soil consumption, reduction in environmentally harmful subsidies and a comprehensive nature conservation offensive. A special limit for the use of space should be a maximum of 2.5 hectares per day - this is significantly less than the current consumption.

The importance of floors for our ecosystems extends far beyond national borders. The WWF emphasizes that healthy soils are not only important for agriculture, but also for the preservation of global biodiversity. In its projects worldwide, from Brazil to India, the WWF fights against the ground degree, which not only brings local farmers in existence, but also leads to the destruction of valuable habitats. The urgency of this problem requires immediate measures and reforms to ensure the sustainable use and protection of our soils, as can be seen from the reports of the WWF.