Abstract
Soil is a living, dynamic entity whose functional integrity is being compromised by increasing anthropogenic pressures, whether arising from agricultural intensification or urban artificialization, for example. As a fundamental foundation for sustainability, soil health is a prerequisite for maintaining vital ecosystem services, from regulating biogeochemical cycles to managing the water cycle, mitigating the effects of climate change and preserving biodiversity. Against this backdrop, the deployment of Nature-based Solutions (NBS) is emerging as an indispensable transformative strategy for restoring the quality and health of soils, resources that are often underestimated but of vital importance to the functioning of ecosystems. Nature-based Solutions represent a strategic approach to tackling major societal challenges by relying on ecosystems. They must respond to societal, economic and environmental challenges in an effective and adaptive way, while ensuring human well-being and producing benefits for biodiversity. They offer a wide range of applications to improve the health and sustainable management of soils across diverse ecosystems and contexts. In turn, the integration of the " soil " dimension is essential in the design and implementation of Nature-based Solutions. Recognizing and investing in soil health is not only a benefit for the environment, but an essential condition for the long-term effectiveness of NFS in the face of the complex challenges of the XXIst century, from climate change and biodiversity loss to food and water security. By protecting and restoring our soils, we are laying the foundations for a more sustainable and resilient future. This issue is at the heart of the priorities of the SOLU-BIOD exploratory research program, which we will illustrate with concrete examples from France and abroad. We will also discuss the challenges and obstacles to the adoption and implementation of SfN, as well as the public policies that will enable their promotion.
Martine Hossaert
Martine Hossaert is Emeritus Research Director and Scientific Advisor at CNRS Écologie et Environnement. She specializes in chemical ecology, i.e. the role of chemical signals and defenses in mediating interactions between organisms, and more specifically in mutualistic interactions. She has been a driving force behind the creation of a chemical ecology community in France, setting up research groups and publishing scientific and popular works in the field. She was recently appointed director of the SOLU-BIOD exploratory research program to coordinate a 9 year program on Nature-based Solutions. SOLU-BIOD aims to systemically integrate Nature-based Solutions into conservation and restoration actions. It stimulates innovative interdisciplinary research on Nature-based Solutions to meet today's environmental and societal challenges.
