Seventh European Soil Partnership Plenary Assembly, 10 September 2020, online (zoom platform). Presenter: Borut Vrščaj

1. The Alpine Soil
Partnership
Borut Vrščaj, Thomas Peham, Maria Legner
Links4Soils project
ESP Plenary - online meeting
September 10th 2020

2. Content
• Links4Soils, project background & objectives
• The Alpine Soil Platform
• The Alpine Soil Partnership
• Framework:
The Alpine Convention (AC)
• AC Soil Conservation Protocol
• Working Group Soil
• Soil Related Activities
• Alpine Soil Partnership
• Work Programme
• Status
• Umbrella/Financing
• Future

3. Links4Soils Project Background
• Alps; common living area, similar soil threats,
little cross-border cooperation on soil protection;
 experts, authorities, NGOs, … should better know each other, cooperate; 
exchange of best practices, building a soil protection committed societies; 
awareness on soils….
• Concrete soil protection and sustainable soil management activities:
decided, designed and implemented on local and regional level
 local authorities aware of soils & protection; convinced, committed to act.
• Soil data often too technical, difficult to understand, soil information not available,
suitable…
Local authorities / decision makers / practitioners need applicable soil information
• Little knowledge how to use data, what for, where to apply, …
 support of local experts needed; better cooperation in the future
• The Soil Conservation Protocol of Alpine Convention ratified in all
national parliaments (but CH): difficulties in implementation!
What to do?  …raise awareness, show how to, what to, … create
community dedicated to better soil management… partnership?

4. Links4Soils project overall objectives
• To link and utilize Alpine soil knowledge
• To link trans-border soil protection activities in Alps, promote exchange and
cooperation on sustainable soil management
• To link and mobilize local and regional authorities committed to better soil
management in Alps
• To introduce links and strengthen the cooperation between experts and end-users
(administrative organizations)
• To rise awareness on soils and sustainable soil management steps towards better
implementation of the
Soil Conservation Protocol of the AC
Two major project deliverables:
• The Alpine Soil Platform
• The Alpine Soil Partnership

5. The
Alpine Soil Platform
Links4Soils project technical, soil awareness raising deliverable

6. The Alpine Soil Platform
The web node where users can:
• Access to a good soil management practices
• Get information about the Alpine soils:
what, where soil data available
• Share soil knowledge, expertize, and how-to procedures
• Get the opportunity to know each other cross-border
(management authorities, soil experts)
• Find and communicate with soil experts (institutions/individuals)
• Give business opportunities to soil expert institutions,
consultancies, individuals
• …other

7. The ‘Platform’: https://alpinesoils.eu

8. The
Alpine Soil Partnership
(AlpSP)
second major Links4Soils project result –
Explained after the Alpine Convetiin

9. Some background
The
Alpine Convention
International treaty considering a transnational mountain area in its
geographical entirety.
Ffinanced by the member states: Austria, France, Germany, Italy,
Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Slovenia and Monaco
Supported the European Union (1995)

10. The Alpine Convention
aims at the protection and sustainable
development of the Alps

11. AC Soil Conservation Protocol
(1991)

12. AC soil & soil-related topics (September 2020)
new WG 2018

13. AC – Soil Conservation

14. AC Soil Protection Working Group
Key activities
2017:
• Alpine Soil Symposium
“Soil Conservation
Protocol of the Alpine
Convention – between
demand and reality”
• In depth report on
economical use of soil
• Report: Quo vadis soil
protection in the Alps?
• SPWG: Mandate until
the XVI Alpine
Conference
“Soil is a finite, non-renewable and endangered natural resource. Especially
Alpine soils are highly vulnerable – they are strongly affected by threats related
to climate change, land use change etc. The need for soil protection is obvious
and is also seen by the United Nations who addresses soil protection within
their Sustainable Development Goals. Deepening this issue in the light of the
Alpine Convention is a logical consequence.”

15. AC Soil Protection Working Group
Mandate until the XVI Alpine Conference

17. The
Alpine Soil Partnership (AlpSP)
Together for soils!

18. • Association for promotion of sustainable soil management
practices relevant & applicable Alps
• A voluntary regional (Alpine) soil protection initiative
• An organization adopted to local / regional decision makers
• A bottom-up soil protection initiative
• Soil protection practiced, communicated in national
languages
 contributes to better, more fluent work and vibrant activities.
AlpSP acts at local & regional level
but contributes to the ESP activities.
The AlpSP aims to be

19. Links4Soils
Alpine Soil Partnership
Work programme
Which challenges in soil protection we
tackle as AlpSP
after the Links4Soils project,
and how?

20. Basis: ESP pillars
Pillar 1 - Soil management
Pillar 2 - Awareness raising
Pillar 3 – Research
Pillar 4 - Information and data
Pillar 5 – Harmonization
©FAO

21. Work Programmes comparison
ESP AlpSP
Pillar 1
Soil
management
Sustainable Soil Management
Pillar 2
Awareness
raising
Soil Awareness Raising, Education
and Didactics
Pillar 3 Research Soil Information and Research
Pillar 4
Information
and data
Regional Cooperation, efficient use
of available soil data
Pillar 5 Harmonization
Comparison, harmonization? of
available soil data

22. AlpSP – Pillar 1
Sustainable Soil Management
• Develop and exchange best soil management practices
at the regional and local levels.
(L4S: Best practice book in preparation)
• Support the implementation of the Voluntary guidelines for
sustainable soil management in relation to the different soils,
considering their potentials and limitations in the Alps,
while taking into account national specificities and partners’
development objectives.
• Establish goals for a “living quality soil”.

23. AlpSP – Pillar 2
Soil Awareness Raising,
Education and Didactics
• Create and promote awareness on sustainable soil management
as a precondition for human well-being in the Alps.
• Promote adequate public and government level awareness of
the importance of soils, through celebrations of the World Soil
Day and other soil awareness communication activities
addressing critical issues related to soil ecosystem services
including food production in the Alpine region.

24. AlpSP – Pillar 3
Soil Information and Research
• Support the standards-based provision of harmonized soil information,
indicators and methodologies across Europe, in line with global level
actions.
• Promote access to soil information and advocate the need for new
soil surveys and data collection in the Alps.
• Support the acquisition of relevant soil knowledge in the Alpine
countries and the implementation of targeted research in accordance
with national conditions and needs to address challenges on the
ground.
• Promote strengthening and capacity development of soil institutions
at local, national, regional and interregional levels.

25. AlpSP – Pillar 4
Regional Cooperation
• Promote the cooperation among authorities, NGOs and soil research
institutions at local, national, regional and interregional levels in the
Alpine Area.
• Promote investment and technical cooperation (including technology
transfer) in all related soil matters, to help to address fundamental
issues in different regions.
• Promote links between existing multilateral initiatives and bodies to
advance knowledge and scientific understanding of soil issues, capture
synergies, while taking into account ongoing activities and efforts that
are being undertaken at the multilateral level, and without duplicating
or prejudging the work under the competent fora.

26. AlpSP – Pillar 5
Comparison (Harmonisation)
• Comparison of available soil data, soil sampling and analytical
methods in the Alpine region, and
steps towards harmonisation
- comparability of data
- promote cross-border soil assessments.

27. Partnership
Current count:
105 members
10 institutions |
48+ individuals
AT | DE | FR | IT | SI

28. Austria
AlpSP
France
AlpSP
Germany
AlpSP
AlpSP
Italy
AlpSP
AlpSP
Liechten-
stein
AlpSP
Slovenia
AlpSP
Switzer-
land
AlpSP
Organisation of the AlpSP
Rotating
Presidency
Steering
committee
Alpine Soil
Partners
Coordination
unit
Annual
Meetings,
Main tasks of the Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Soil Partnership
1. Awareness rising and promotion of soils 3. Website hosting: alpinesoils.eu
2. Coordination and co-organisation of meetings 4. Membership management

29. 05.2017
Ljubljana
meeting
11.2017
Innsbruck
meeting
03.2018
Grenoble
meeting
11.2018
Munich
meeting
05.2019
Aosta Valley
meeting
AlpSP Milestones
14.-15.10.2019
Final Conference
Innsbruck
Objectives &
framework AlpSP 
Memorandum of
Understanding 
First Action
Programme AlpSP 
Regional
meetings
Case Study
Results & Best
Practices
Further
activities
of the AlpSP
Current count:
105 members
10 institutions
48+ individuals
AT | DE | FR | IT | SI
Links4Soils project

30. Done so far AlpSP within the Links4Soils
• Drafting AlpSP objectives, framework,
• Memorandum of Understanding
• Promotion of the AlpSP and ESP on local & regional level
(IT, FR, SI, AT, DE)
• Enlarging the AlpSP membership
• Participation of the AlpSP members in int. organizations
• Active participation to EUSALP WG6  declaration
• Preparation of Soil Ecosystem Services booklet for Alpine
practitioners
• Preparation Best practices Soil Management booklet – Alpine
examples

31. The
Alpine Soil Partnership
in transition
second major Links4Soils project result

32. The Alpine Soil Partnership will continue in the next years with a
coordination unit situated at Klimabündnis Tirol
(Climate Alliance Tyrol, Innsbruck; NGO, Links4Soil Project Partner)
Financed by the Austria, Germany and Switzerland
(ministries responsible of environment).
Closely linked to the:
• Alpine Convention WG Soil
• European Land and Soil Alliance
• EUSALP AG 6
• JRC ESDAC
• Soil partnerships and soil organizations in Alpine countries
• and, of course, European Soil Partnership
NEWS:
The Alpine Soil Partnership is supported & financed

33. • AlpSP (will) closely cooperates with the
AC Soil Protection Working Group
• Help, promote, activities towards better implementation of the Soil
Conservation Protocol of the AC
• Soil awareness raising activities
• Organising intr. events, promote & exchange best soil management practices,
soil protection
• Yearly soil events hosted by Alpine regions, countries
• Exchange and harmonizing activities; contribution to ESP, EUSALP – WG6
• ….
October 7th:
AC Working Group Soil Protection of the Alpine Convention online meeting:
status, plans, activities of the AlpSP
Alpine Soil Partnership Activities
<in preparation>

34. Summary
The Alpine Soil Partnership
• Links4Soil project / Alpine Soil Partnership helped to
bring the soil topic on the agenda in Alpine Convention,
partially EUSALP, and in some Alpine countries
• The Alpine Soil Partnership seems to be
a promising bottom-up/regional/international initiative
that will largely contribute to soil projection…
& implementation of ESP goals in a specific region - Alps
• A good example of linking global/continental and
local/regional soil protection initiatives?