Soil science input in transdisciplinary projects in the Netherlands and Italy

• Published in: Geoderma Regional Vol. 5; pp. 96 - 105
• Main Authors: Bouma, J., Kwakernaak, C., Bonfante, A., Stoorvogel, J.J., Dekker, L.W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.08.2015
• Subjects: Alfisols; Ecosystem services; Entisols; Inceptisols; Mollisols; Soil functions; Spodosols; Sustainable development goals; Vertisols; Vertisols; Soil functions; Alfisols; Ecosystem services; Sustainable development goals; Mollisols; Inceptisols; Spodosols; Entisols
• ISSN: 2352-0094; 2352-0094
• DOI: 10.1016/j.geodrs.2015.04.002

The UN-Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide an attractive framework to demonstrate the essential contributions that soil science can make to transdisciplinary research. Contributions of soil science were systematically defined by considering relevant SDGs and the associated ecosystem services (ESs) for six transdisciplinary case studies in the Netherlands and Italy. Soil input consisted of available knowledge in terms of data and models in three case studies. This resulted in highly relevant research based on knowledge assembly, but is not helpful when soil scientists then demand funding for new research in order to expand the knowledge base. In three case studies not only available knowledge was used but also results from new research. An analysis of the six case studies resulted in recommendations for new soil research. •Sustainable Development Goals are attractive to illustrate the role of soils.•Disciplines have to negotiate their input into transdisciplinary research.•New soil research is justified when it results in better transdisc. research.•Functional characterization of point data followed by interpolation is effective.•Using soil databases out of landscape context leads to irrelevant results.