Summary
Haygarth and Ritz (2009) provide a synthesising review of the role of soil systems in delivering land-based ecosystem services within a UK context, published as part of a special issue of Land Use Policy. The paper draws on existing evidence to characterise how soils support multiple provisioning, regulating, and supporting services, and situates this within the broader challenge of sustainable land management. It offers a framework for understanding soil as a critical natural capital asset and highlights the policy implications of soil degradation and changing land use pressures.
UK applicability
The paper is explicitly UK-focused and directly relevant to UK land use and soil policy, making it applicable to debates around sustainable farming, environmental land management schemes, and the protection of soil as a national resource.
Key measures
Ecosystem service provision indicators; soil functional capacity; land use scenarios; policy recommendations
Outcomes reported
The paper examines how soil systems underpin the delivery of land-based ecosystem services and considers the implications for future UK soil and land use policy. It likely reports on the condition, threats, and functional capacity of UK soils in relation to food production, carbon sequestration, water regulation, and biodiversity.
Topic tags
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