Functional Land Management: A Framework for Soil Policy Formation

Discussions on soil policies are framed by the Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection (COM (2006) 231 final), launched by the European Commission (EC) in 2006. Eight main threats to soil were recognised within the EU. A review by Creamer et al. (Soil Use Manage 26:198–211, 2010) highlighted that the key threats to soil quality relevant to Ireland were loss of soil organic matter, erosion, compaction and contamination. A proposal for a Soil Framework Directive (SFD) (COM (2006) 232 final) was finally withdrawn in May 2014. The removal of the SDF represents an opportunity to refocus attention away from the threats to soil quality towards an approach that emphasises the functional capacity of soil. In Ireland, the concept of Functional Land Management (FLM) has been developed and is currently being applied to other countries across Europe. FLM is a utilitarian framework that specifically tries to optimise the delivery of five soil functions delivered through agricultural landscapes: (1) primary productivity, (2) water purification and regulation, (3) carbon storage and regulation, (4) provision of a habitat for biodiversity and (5) cycling of nutrients. In relation to matching the supply of soil functions with demand, three distinguishing pathways have been identified: (1) Implement a change in a dynamic soil property at local scale, such as nutrient concentrations. (2) Alter a static soil property to enhance one or more functions. In Ireland, this could be the implementation of subsurface land drainage systems to change the soil moisture dynamics of the soil or (3) Land use change, such as from grassland to arable. Functional Land Management does not equate to a legislative tool for the zoning of land for individual functions but rather that individual soil functions may be incentivised through existing instruments available under the EU CAP.