EPA - Ireland's Environment 2016

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Chapter 7: Land and Soil

Land and Soil

Introduction

Soil is a biologically active, complex mixture of weathered

minerals, organic matter, organisms, air and water. This

mixture supports a range of critical functions such as

supporting terrestrial ecosystems and biological diversity,

agricultural food production, flood alleviation, water

filtration and storage, and carbon capture. Soils form

over long time periods and should be considered as finite

resources to be protected and managed carefully.

The environmental roles and functions provided by

different soils are increasingly being recognised. Soil

type and overlying surface conditions within water

catchments play a key role in determining the risk of

water pollution, through preventing nutrient runoff

and the treatment of septic tank effluent. There is now

a greater awareness of the need to protect soils and

manage their use in a sustainable manner and of the

wider benefits that can accrue.

Ireland’s soils, land use and landscape have been shaped

by natural processes and human interventions throughout

our history, leaving us with a rich mix of geological

features, soil types and land cover. This section examines

the key land cover types, sectoral activities, challenges and

pressures that shape Ireland’s landscape and the state of

our environment, as well as highlighting some key research

activities providing better mapping of land and soil and

understanding of the critical interactions between soil,

land use and environmental protection.

According to a recent EEA report, land take for urban,

infrastructure and industrial purposes exceeds 1000km

per year in the EU, with half of this surface being defined

as “sealed”, i.e. the connection between the atmosphere

and the soil surface is interrupted. This sealing effect can

impact on natural exchanges occurring between soils and

the atmosphere which influence the natural function and

associated biodiversity of soils (EEA, 2016).