Page 7 - Natural World Winter 2017
P. 7
It may not look like much, but soil trying to change. Increased carbon ingredients blended together in a
is one of the most important emissions, increased flood risk and complex recipe. Minerals come from
substances on earth. reduced water quality are having an bedrock beneath the surface
The quality of soil underpins impact on homes and businesses, breaking down, creating soils from
society – how we grow food, how not to mention the thousands of below. Organic matter from plants
water is stored and moved through species of plants and animals in the and animals decays on the planet’s
the landscape, and how carbon is UK that rely on rich, healthy soils. surface, feeding soils from above.
locked up. It’s the foundation of life About half of soil is made up of air.
on earth and we all depend on Soil is made from lots of The space this creates provides
healthy soils to survive. Civilisations paths for water, roots and crucial
have risen and fallen because of the Some arable habitats for wildlife.
quality of their soils, so we need to land could
show our mud a little respect! fail within a Pull up a handful of soil, and you’ll
generation notice it feels cool and wet. Most soil
That’s something that’s been creatures need this liquid to live in
missing in recent decades. And and move through, and so thrive in
something The Wildlife Trusts are this dark, damp environment. And
Earthworms are soil engineers
What farmers
can do now
Farmland soil is crying
out for some care
Wildlife Trusts work with
thousands of farmers each year.
The best farmers work hard to
look after their soils, working
with our microscopic allies,
bacteria and fungi. Good soil
management on arable farms
really helps to increase soil
organic matter and reduce soil
compaction and erosion. This
includes:
■ Planting ‘catch-cover’ crops
to keep the soil covered up
■ Replacing artificial fertilisers
with natural organic matter
(poo!)
■ Ploughing less often or
stopping tillage altogether
WINTER 2017 NATURAL WORLD 7
