Finding and sharing solutions to

protect our soils

Europe's soil research hub

Who is RECARE-Hub for?

Farmers & Forestry

RECARE-Hub contains the latest information on preventing soil threats, and cost-benefit analysis on proven remediation techniques.

Industry

Discover innovative sustainable land management measures that can combat threats to key soil functions.

Policy makers

Find out more about land care strategies relevant to your region and our integrated assessment of existing soil related policy.

Researchers

Access a wealth of European research data on soil threats and the efficacy of land care strategies.

Teachers & environmentalists

Whether you're a teacher or a concerned environmentalist, find out why Europe's soils are under threat and what researchers are doing to help combat the problems.

Resources designed for you

 

The soil that underpins Europe's agricultural systems faces numerous threats.

If you are interested in learning about specific soil threats, you can explore the individual threats below. If you want detailed guidance for assessing soil degradation or learning about management measures to prevent and remediate against soil degradation, you might want to head straight over to RECARE's resources.

 

RESOURCES

Peat soils above groundwater level are exposed to the air and decompose. This causes a subsidence of 8-12 mm.y-1 and a CO2 emission of 18-27 tons.ha-1.y-1. Subsidence is also causing damage to infrastructure and buildings and is making water management ever more complex and expensive. In time, with rising sea levels in a nation largely under sea level, it is not wise to allow continued subsidence rates of 1 cm.y-1, particularly as climate change is likely to double subsidence rates by the end of this century. Raising ditchwater levels to 20 cm below the surface in summer are needed to halve subsidence and GHG emissions. This makes a viable dairy farming impossible and dairy farmers very strongly oppose this kind of solution. A potential alternative solution is the use of submerged drains to raise groundwater levels in summer which initial research has shown to halve subsidence and the resulting CO2 emissions. Whilst first results are promising, more proof in praxis is needed before this technique can be promoted and introduced on a larger-scale.

The RECARE project will work with an active network group of farmers in the area dealing with submerged drains and an existing stakeholders group on submerged drains to explore the technical and economic feasibility of using submerged drains to combat subsidence.

More information about the RECARE project in Dutch can be found here

Case Study Sites

 Click on the map below to find out more about RECARE's case study sites
Case Studies

Project Partners

ABOUT US

RECARE was a multidisciplinary research project of 27 different organisations that assessed the threats to Europe's soils and identified innovative solutions to prevent further soil degradation.  The project ran from 2013 - 2018.

Academic Contact
Professor Coen Ritsema 
Wageningen University
E: coen.ritsema[AT]wur.nl

Media Contact
Dr Matt Reed
E: mreed[AT]glos.ac.uk

Funding

Funded by the European Commission FP7 Programme, ENV.2013.6.2-4 ‘Sustainable land care in Europe’.

EU grant agreement: 603498.

Project officer: Maria Yeroyanni.

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