This presentation was presented during Day 1 of the Global Soil Partnership Plenary Assembly – 5th Session that took place at FAO Hq in Rome, Italy, from 20 to 22 June 2017. The presentation was made by Ms. Elena Havlicek

1. European Soil
Partnership Report
Elena Havlicek

2. • ESP launch: 31.10.2013 (Berlin – Global Soil Week)
• ESP consolidation: 9.5.2016 (ToR, new SC, renewal of WG)
Main objectives 2016-2017
 Active ESP
 Finalization RIP
 Coordination (networks, knowledge, experts)
During the 4th Plenary Assembly 2016

3. Achievements since the 4th Plenary
Assembly 2016
MEETINGS
4 May 2016 (Ispra) > Secretariat, chair, ITPS
 25 May 2016 (Rome) > Steering Committee with C. Olazabal (DG ENV), A. Mermut
(ECSSS president), L. Weise & R. Vargas (FAO)
 3-4 February 2017 (Berne) > Steering Committee with B. Vrscaj (Links4Soils), P.
Boivin (ECSSS president), K. Janouskova (JRC trainee)
 10-12 May 2017 (Rome) > ESP Plenary Meeting
 Conferences (Alpine Convention in Germany, EUROSOIL 2016 in Istanbul, Soil
Stakeholder Conference in Brussels, Global Soil Security Conference in Paris, SETAC
in Brussels)
 Active ESP

4. Achievements since the 4th Plenary
Assembly 2016
ESP IMPLEMENTATION PLAN 2017-2020
 Endorsement during the ESP Plenary Meeting (May 2017)
 Implementation Plan for the ESP (overarching goals)
 Implementation Plans for the 5 Pillars
http://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/networkcooperations/european-soil-partnership
 Finalization RIP

5. Achievements since the 4th Plenary
Assembly 2016
FACILITATE COOPERATION AND KNOWLEDGE SHARING
 …within the region (ESP Terms of Reference)
 Coordination

6. 50 countries
21 countries
47 countries22 countries
11 countries
24 countries
24 countries
2 countries
ESP Region

7. ESP Region - Soil Threats
salinization
contamination
erosion
soil
sealing
loss of SOC, of
biodiversity

8. ESP Region - Soil Policies
EU policies National policies
Regional policies
e.g. Alpine
Convention
« Sub-national »
policies

9. ESP Region - Soil Policies
UPDATED INVENTORY AND ASSESSMENT OF SOIL PROTECTION
POLICY INSTRUMENTS IN EU MEMBER STATES (2017)
> 35 EU level policies
> 671 Instruments in the 28 EU Member States (61% binding)
 lack of strategic coordination (policies with strategic vision >
non binding)
 lack of holistic approach (soil functions)
 indirect soil protection (derived from protection of other
resources)
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/soil/pdf/Soil_inventory_report.pdf

10. ESP Region
 EUROPE > existing networks, projects, initiatives, …
 advantage : knowledge, information, policies
 disadvantage : effort needed to mobilize and coordinate

11.  Identification of
various/relevant
networks
 Foreseen: meeting &
coordination
Achievements since the 4th Plenary
Assembly 2016  Coordination

12.  Eurasian Soil Partnership
 Alpine Soil Partnership (project Links4Soils)
 Mediterranean Soil Partnership
SUB-REGIONAL PARTNERSHIPS > to address specific threats,
specific regions
Achievements since the 4th Plenary
Assembly 2016  Coordination
+ Focus on a specific region and specific threats > concrete outcomes, efficiency
+ Common « brand » > visibility, legitimacy
- Administrative burden > no subregional IP

13. « NATIONAL » SOIL PARTNERSHIPS > to implement actions
(national soil science societies, institutions, … ) bottom-up initiative
GSP
5 pillars
NATIONAL SOIL SCIENCE SOCIETIES / INSTITUTIONS
Coordinated activities along the 5 pillars
ESP
5 pillars
RSP
5 pillars
RSP
5 pillars
 Bulgaria
 Italy
 Slovakia
Achievements since the 4th
Plenary Assembly 2016  Coordination

14. Achievements since the 4th Plenary
Assembly 2016
FACILITATE COOPERATION AND KNOWLEDGE SHARING
 …contribute to the development of capacities, build on best
available science (ESP Terms of Reference)
 agreement
with the ECSSS
 Science-Policy
 Inclusive
(stakeholders)
 Coordination

15. Achievements since the 4th Plenary
Assembly 2016
PROMOTE THE ESP
 Awareness raising is a prerequisite for cooperation (IP Pillar 2)
 Coordination

16. During the 4th Plenary Assembly
2016
 Short term (2016/2017): functional ESP
• Finalization of the RIP
• Cooperation with existing soil networks
• Promotion of the ESP
 Long (middle) term (2017/2020): deliverables
• Report on SSM best practices
• EUROSOIL 2020: promote synergies policy-science
• SWSR 2020: European Regional Report

17.  Short term (2016/2017): functional ESP
• Finalization of the RIP > completed
• Cooperation with existing soil networks > ongoing
• Promotion of the ESP > ongoing
 Long (middle) term (2017/2020): deliverables
• Report on SSM best practices > ESP IP
• EUROSOIL 2020: promote synergies policy-science > ongoing
• SWSR 2020: European Regional Report > ESP IP
Achievements since the 4th
Plenary Assembly 2016

18. Next steps
 Set up priorities (ESP IP) > concrete outcomes, results

19. Next steps – Pillar 1

20. Next steps – Pillar 1

21. Next steps – Pillar 2

22. Next steps – Pillar 3

23. Next steps – Pillars 4 & 5

24. Next steps
 Set up priorities (ESP IP) > concrete outcomes, results
 Mobilize the resources
 Implement the prioritized recommendations

25. Complex thinking
Global strategies
Simple acting
Local implementation
RESEARCH, POLICY
STAKEHOLDERS
Challenges GSP
RSP
National level

26. Complex thinking
Global strategies
Simple acting
Local implementation
RESEARCH, POLICY
STAKEHOLDERS
Challenges GSP
RSP
National level
DEFINITION (HEALTHY SOIL)
COMMUNICATION (SOIL FUNCTIONS)
SOLUTIONS (SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES)

27. STEERING COMMITTEE
Chair: Elena Havlicek (Switzerland)
Vice-chairs: Hakki Erdogan (Turkey) and Carmelo Dazzi (Italy)
Representative of the ESP-secretariat: Marc Van Liedekerke
Representative of the GSP-secretariat: Rainer Baritz
Representative of the Eurasian Sub-regional Partnership (EASP): Pavel Krasilnikov
Representative of the ITPS (European members): Luca Montanarella
Representative of the EC: Josiane Masson
• Pillar 1 Chair: Violette Geissen (Wageningen University, The Netherlands)
• Pillar 2 Chair: Arwyn Jones (European Commission)
• Pillar 3 Chair: Coen Ritsema (Wageningen University, The Netherlands)
• Pillar 4 Chair: Allan Lilly (James Hutton Institute, Scottland) replaced by
Edoardo Costantini (Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l'analisi
dell'economia agraria CREA)
• Pillar 5 Chair: Hakki Erdogan (MAAF, Turkey)
AND ESP MEMBERS!