This years' campaign "Keep soil alive, Protect soil biodiversity" urges us to focus our attention on the workers belowground - from tiny bacteria to agile millipedes and slimy earthworms - all of which contribute to processes that are indispensable to life on Earth.
These days biodiversity loss is a worry – and soil is also affected. Soil is home to more than 1/4 of our planet's biodiversity. Yet, we only know 1% of this universe. There are more living creatures in a single teaspoon of healthy soil than there are people on Earth. Soil organisms are responsible for many critical ecosystem processes, on which humans depend: from supporting plant growth, to storing carbon and being a vast reservoir for pharmaceuticals. But soil biodiversity is under pressure! Unsustainable soil management affects life belowground. Take action to protect soil biodiversity by digging in with us!
- Warming of 2 C would release billions of tons of soil carbon
Hashtags #SoilBiodiversity #WorldSoilDay
Key messages
Soil is a living resource, home to more than one quarter (25%) of our planet’s biodiversity.
Up to 90% of living organisms live or spent part of their lifecycle in soils, yet we know only 1% of this hidden universe.
Soil organisms work 365/24/7 in a coordinated effort to sustain life on Earth.
Soil biodiversity is an essential component of soil health. Healthy soils produces more nutritious and safer food. 95% of our food comes from soils.
Soils organisms help soils store carbon and reduce GHG emissions.
Soil biodiversity contributes to the remediation of soil pollution by breaking down contaminants.
Soils are vast, vital pharmacies. Did you know that almost all of the antibiotics that we take to help us fight infections were made using soil micro-organisms?
Fun facts
In just 3 inches of soil, there are 13 quadrillion living organisms, weighing 100 million tonnes.
One hectare of soil contains the weight equivalent of two cows of bacteria.
There are more organisms in one gram of healthy soils than there are people on Earth.
An earthworm can digest its own weight in soil every 24 hours. 50% of the planet soil passes through the gut of earthworms each year.
Soil organisms process 25,000 kg of organic matter in a surface area equivalent to a soccer field, which is the weight of 25 cars.
