European Soil Partnership (ESP) meeting - March 20-21, 2018, Rome FAO HQ, Italy

2. The Alpine Soil
Partnership
- Links4Soils project deliverable
Borut Vrščaj
Links4Soils project leader

3. The Links4Soils project
An EU Interreg, Alpine Space project

4. 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
 convinced, committed, knowledgeable local authorities needed
• Soil data often too technical, difficult to understand, not available,
suitable… Local authorities / decision makers / practitioners need
applicable information
• Little knowledge how to use data, what for where to apply  support of
local experts needed; better, cooperation in future
• The Soil Conservation Protocol of Alpine Conventionratified in all national
parliaments(but CH): poorly implemented!
 what to do? …raise awareness, show how to, what to, … create
community dedicated to better soil management… partnership?

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

8. Links4Soils project partners
• SI Agricultural Institute of Slovenia (AIS- Lead Partner)
• SI Slovenian Forest Service (SFS)
• AT Office of the Tyrolean Provincial Government
(AdTLR – AlpSP WP leader)
• AT Institute of Geography, University of Innsbruck (UIBK)
• IT Autonomous Region of Aosta valley (RAVA)
• IT University of Torino (UNITO)
• DE Markt Kaufering (MK)
• FR National research institute of science and technology for environment
and agriculture, Grenoble Regional Centre (IRSTEA)
• AT Climate Alliance Tirol (KB)

9. Observers: Alpine organizations
(some of them stakeholders)

10. Main Activities to Achieve Goals
1. Cooperate on international/ national level (e.g.
who is who, who to ask, key institutions, experts,
stakeholders, decision makers, events, publications,
awareness rising activities…)
2. Identify, collect, when possible share soil
information…
3. Create and disseminate best practices on soil
management
Major deliverables:
Alpine Soil Partnership  1, 3
Alpine Soil Platform  2

11. The Alpine Soil Platform
Technical
Links4Soils project deliverable

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

13. The ‘Platform’: www.AlpineSoils.eu

14. The Alpine Soil Partnership
Links4Soils project deliverable

15. • AlpSP: a voluntary community committed to
sustainable soil management and protection in
Alps
• AlpSP follows the GSP/ESP activities in relation to
sectoral needs
(agriculture, planning, forestry, nat. disaster prevention,
climate change adaptation & mitigation, …)
The Alpine Soil Partnership (AlpSP)
Links4Soils, B.Vrščaj
CIPRA Annual Meeting, Innsbruck, 29.-30.
September 2017
15

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

17. • Authorities
• Local and regional governments
• Municipalities
• National/regional agencies (e.g. environment protection,
sectoral agencies, national data centres, etc.)
• Soil & soil-related Experts
• National soil science societies and
• Soil research institutions, universities
• Individual soil experts
• (Soil) consultancies, companies (e.g. soil remediation, planning…)
• NGOs
• Individuals
…Anyone aware about soil being a precious resource
AlpSP members
Links4Soils, B.Vrščaj
CIPRA Annual Meeting, Innsbruck, 29.-30.
September 2017
17

18. • Raise awareness on importance of soils in Alps
• Cooperate on soil protection (national and intl. level) in Alps
• Practice and promote sustainable soil management and
protection (SMP)
• Develop and exchange best SMP practices
(regional Alpine level)
• Give political support to widely introduce SMP practices on
national and international level
• …
• Support and act towards a better implementation of the Soil
Conservation Protocol of the Alpine Convention
‘We do what we can’ principle
Key AlpSP activities
Links4Soils, B.Vrščaj
CIPRA Annual Meeting, Innsbruck, 29.-30.
September 2017
18

19. • 5 ESP pillars of action
• Contribution of AlpSP in mainly in 3 pillars
Again, ‘We do what we can’
AlpSP contribution to ESP pillars
Links4Soils, B.Vrščaj 19

20. • Closely cooperates with Alpine Convention (AC)
• Activities towards better implementation of Soil
Conservation Protocol
• Hopefully, the AlpSP can help to establish a Soil
Protection WG within the AC workgroups
(a missing WG?)
AlpSP Relationship to the
Alpine Convention

21. AlpSP links to ESP

22. • Follows the ESP goals
(contribution mainly 3 out of 5 pillars)
• Supports, promotes, implements? ESP activities at
local / sub/regional level - Alps
• Acts within the Alpine Region
AlpSP relationship to the ESP

23. So far…
• The ESP SC recognised the AlpSP
• Activities that contribute to the ESP/GSP goals
• AlpSP builds soil awareness and mobilize Alpine
initiatives in national languages
• Links4Soils project builds a committed soil partnership
on a local/sub-regional level
• How should AlpSP act in relation to ESP?
• A kind of informal? ESP extension ?
• A voluntary movement on a local/sub-regional Alpine
level that ‘cares for soils’ – contributes to ESP?

24. Question(s)
ESP in relation to a variety of associated? ‘soil–caring’
initiatives

25. Questions / suggestions
• Probably to upgrade the ESP structures towards to
utilize / collaborate with (variety?) sub-regional soil
protection initiatives:
e.g. an official ESP representative can take care of:
• that the activities of associated initiatives are in-line
with the ESP/GSP
• That initiatives are compliant with ESP goals, and
harmonized

26. Many thanks for your
attention!