NEIKER hosts a cross-border meeting for the protection of Pyrenean soils

The planned solutions include harmonised maps and methodologies for understanding soils, as well as educational materials and tours to raise public awareness

Mountain soils play an essential role in the ecological balance and sustainability of ecosystems, acting as climate regulators, an essential part of the water cycle and reservoirs of biodiversity. In the Pyrenees, their fragility is accentuated by extreme climatic conditions and pressures arising from climate change and the increasing recreational use of the territory.

With the aim of furthering knowledge and conservation, the NEIKER technology centre, an entity dependent on the Basque Government’s Department of Food, Rural Development, Agriculture and Fisheries, is hosting the 2nd Pyrenean Soil Forum this week. This event is part of the European SOLPYR project, which aims to protect mountain soils through the development of knowledge, awareness and cooperation between entities in the different Pyrenean regions, and will combine technical office working days with an awareness-raising day in the field.

The meeting brings together experts and representatives from institutions in different regions of the Pyrenees who work in research, forest management, agriculture, livestock farming and public administration, with the aim of discussing the progress of the project and sharing experiences on the governance and conservation of mountain soils. Among the topics for discussion are the harmonisation of methodologies for mapping soils and determining their vulnerability, as well as the development of the Pyrenees Soil Action Plan, which establishes a common strategy for protecting this resource on a cross-border scale and is based on the results of seven co-creation workshops held in different Pyrenean regions.