Isra-Mart srl : EU urges governments to let city soils breathe

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European governments are being urged to tackle the damage caused to so-called ecosystem services, when massive areas of soil are lost to urban sprawl that degrades the soil and increases the risk of flooding.

The European Commission has today published a report highlighting the problem of "soil sealing", when land is covered with impermeable material such as asphalt or concrete, causing an irreversible loss of the soil's biological functions.

The report offers ways in which governments can address the issue, including improved spatial planning, reassessing subsidies that indirectly encourage soil sealing, and measures to reduce damage when soil sealing cannot be avoided, such as building more green roofs and permeable car parks.

It also recommends compensation measures to partially offset soil losses in one area by introducing measures to improve soil quality in other areas.

Running down the worst offenders, the report finds that between 2000 and 2006 Malta had the highest sealing rates, followed by the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg.

The UK is identified as having a moderate problem, where annual landtake is decreasing despite a growing population. The UK is also hailed for its broad use of permeable materials to cover car parks, even in big cities, and its continuous research and guidelines to help drive greener car parks.

The commission has identified soil degradation, including soil sealing, as a serious problem at EU level. On average 275 hectares of soil were lost per day in the EU between 1990 and 2000, half of which is permanently sealed by impermeable layers such as buildings, roads and car parks.

To protect European soils the commission presented a proposal for a Soil Framework Directive in 2006, with the support of the European Parliament.

However, due to opposition from some member states the proposal is currently stalled in the council.

The results of today's report will feed into a technical document on soil sealing offering best practice advice for governments, due to be published in early 2012.

Environment commissioner Janez Potočnik urged governments to use the report to find a sustainable way of limiting the loss of biodiversity caused by economic development.

"We rely on soils for some fundamental ecosystem services: without them life on our planet would grind to a halt," he said. "We cannot afford to continue paving them over. This does not mean halting economic development or the upgrading of our infrastructures, but it does require a more sustainable approach."