Implementation of the recommendations from the Global Symposium on Soil Biodiversity | GSOBI21
The Global Symposium on Soil Biodiversity (GSOBI21) was held virtually on the FAO zoom platform from 19-22 April 2021. It was attended by over 5 000 participants (49 percent women, 51 percent men), representing more than 160 countries, including representatives of FAO Members, organizing institutions, academia, research institutions, the private sector, civil society, and farmers, as well as land users working on soil biodiversity and related fields.
The recommendations presented in the GSOBI21 outcome document aimed to strengthen the data, knowledge, and capacities for supporting the conservation and sustainable use of soil biodiversity and to support the development of policies and actions to encourage the full use of soil biodiversity in the various land use sectors. The recommendations are structured around the four themes of the symposium, focusing on measurement, assessment and monitoring of soil biodiversity; on sustainable use/management and conservation of soil biodiversity; on the economics of soil biodiversity; and on policies and legal instruments related to soil biodiversity.
THEME 1 ON MEASUREMENT, ASSESSMENT AND MONITORING OF SOIL BIODIVERSITY
Main recommendation: Execute the Implementation Plan of the International Initiative for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Soil Biodiversity and the implementation of this Outcome document “Keep soil alive, protect soil biodiversity”. Under the umbrella of the International Initiative for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Soil Biodiversity (from the CBD), a Technical Network on Soil Biodiversity (NETSOB) will be established as part of the GSP technical networks. [DONE]
Recommendation 1: Establishment of the Global Soil Biodiversity Observatory. [ONGOING]
Recommendation 2: Development of guidelines for measuring, assessing and monitoring (MAM) soil biodiversity. [ONGOING]
Recommendation 3: Development and implementation of a capacity-building programme on soil biodiversity including national assessments, monitoring, good management practices and restoration.
THEME 2 ON SUSTAINABLE USE/ MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION OF SOIL BIODIVERSITY
Recommendation 4: Development of a field manual on soil biodiversity management that addresses soil biodiversity loss/conservation. [ONGOING]
Recommendation 5: Development of a technical booklet about the main soil-borne diseases.
THEME 3 ON THE ECONOMICS OF SOIL BIODIVERSITY
Recommendation 6: Development of the methodology for the economic valuation of soil biodiversity. [ONGOING]
THEME 4 ON POLICIES AND LEGAL INSTRUMENTS RELATED TO SOIL BIODIVERSITY
Recommendation 7: Performance of an assessment of effective policies and legal instruments to control soil biodiversity loss. [ONGOING]