Preserve and enhance soil biodiversity.

 

Soils provide one of the largest reservoirs of biodiversity on earth, and soil organisms play key roles in the delivery of many ecosystems services. Little is known about the degree of biodiversity required to maintain core soil functions, but new tools for biochemical techniques and DNA analysis suggest significant progress in this area is possible. • Monitoring programs for soil biodiversity, including biological indicators (e.g. community ecotoxicology) and in-situ early warning signals, should be undertaken; • Soil organic matter levels supporting soil biodiversity should be maintained or enhanced through the provision of sufficient vegetative cover (e.g. cover crops, multiple crops), optimal nutrient additions, addition of diverse organic amendments, minimizing soil disturbance, avoiding salinization, and maintaining or restoring vegetation such as hedgerows and shelterbelts; • The authorization and use of pesticides in agricultural systems should be based on the recommendations included in the International Code of Conduct on PesticideManagement and relevant national regulations. Integrated or organic pest management should be encouraged; • The use of nitrogen fixing leguminous species, microbial inoculants, mycorrhizas (spores, hyphae, and root fragments), earthworms and other beneficial micro-, meso- and macro- soil organisms (e.g. beetle banks) should be encouraged where appropriate, with attention to limiting the risk of invasive processes by promoting the use of local biodiversity and avoiding the risk of disturbance in soil services; • Restoring plant biodiversity in ecosystems, thereby favouring soil biodiversity; • In-field crop rotation, inter-cropping, and preservation of field margins, hedges and biodiversity refuges should be encouraged; and Any land use change in areas with high biodiversity should be subject to land use planning and in line with the UNCBD, UNCCD and other relevant international instruments and with national law.