Browsing by Author "Ramler, David"

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    Do we speak one language on the way to sustainable soil management in Europe? A terminology check via an EU-wide survey.
    (John Wiley & Sons, 2024) Weninger, Thomas; Ramler, David; Bondi, Giulia; Asins, Sabina; O'Sullivan, Lilian; Assennato, Francesca; Astover, Alar; Bispo, Antonio ; Borůvka, Luboˇs ; Buttafuoco, Gabriele ; Calzolari, Costanza ; Castanheira, Nadia ; Cousin, Isabelle ; Elsen, Erik van den; Foldal, Cecilie ; Hessel, Rudi ; Kadžiulienė, Zydrė ; Kukk, Liia ; Molina, Maria J. ; Montagne, David ; Oorts, Katrien ; Pindral, Sylwia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1065-8004; Ungaro, Fabrizio ; Klimkowicz-Pawlas, Agnieszka https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4529-5274
    European soils are under increasing pressure, making it difficult to maintain the provision of soil ecosystem services (SESs). A better understanding of soil processes is needed to counteract soil threats (STs) and to promote sustainable soil management. The EJP SOIL programme of the EU provides a framework for the necessary research. However, different definitions of soil-related terms potentially lead to varied understandings of concepts. Furthermore, there are numerous indicators available to quantify STs or SESs. As unclear communication is a key barrier that hinders the implementation of research results into practice, this study aimed to answer the question about whether the terminology of large-scale initiatives is adequately understood within the soil-science community and nonresearch stakeholders. An online questionnaire was used to provide definitions for 33 soil-related terms in both scientific and plain language, as well as indicators for seven SESs and 11 STs. Participants were asked to rate their agreement with the definitions and indicators on a seven-grade Likert scale. The level of agreement was calculated as the percentage of ratings above 4, the neutral position. The survey was available from June to September 2023 and was distributed by a snowball approach. More than 260 stakeholders assessed the survey; 70% of respondents were researchers, and 15% were practitioners. Mean agreement levels for the definitions and indicators were generally high, at 85% and 78% respectively. However, it was apparent that the lowest agreement was found for terms that are relatively new, such as Ecosystem Services and Bundle, or unfamiliar for certain subgroups, such as ecological terms for stakeholders working at the farm scale. Due to their distinct majority, the results of this study primarily reflect the opinions of scientists. Thus, broad conclusions can only be drawn by comparing scientists with non-scientists. In this regard, the agreement was surprisingly high across all types of questions. The combined outcomes indicate that there is still a need to facilitate communication between stakeholders and to improve knowledge distribution strategies. Nevertheless, this study can support and be used by future projects and programmes, especially regarding the harmonization of terminology and methods.
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    Stakeholders' Perspectives on the Current State and Transition to Sustainable Soil Management Across Europe
    (Wiley, 2025-10-02) Pulido-Moncada, Mansonia; Stone, Tiffanie Faye; Løvlund Bach, Jonna; Hvarregaard Thorsøe, Martin; Munkholm, Lars J.; Baratella, Valentina; Vanino, Silvia; Farina, Roberta; Chenu, Claire; Cornu, Sophie; Mason, Eloïse; Keesstra, Saskia; Herrmann, Anke M.; Barron, Jennie; Stenberg, Bo; Jarosch, Klaus A.; Mihelič, Rok; Mavsar, Sara; Gonçalves, Maria da Conceição; Castanheira, Nádia Luísa; Ortman, Tove; László, Péter; Ramler, David; Madenoglu, Sevinc; Ozcan, Hesna; Leppälä, Johanna; Ruysschaert, Greet; Gimeno, Benjamin S.; Huyghebaert, Bruno; Kasparinskis, Raimonds; Siebielec, Grzegorz; Świątek, Karolina
    Implementing sustainable soil management practices to enhance soil health is a priority in research and policymaking across Europe. There is a need to identify the main soil challenges faced by different European stakeholders and the critical threats limiting the adoption of sustainable management of agricultural soils. The present study analyses stakeholders' perspectives on key soil challenges, knowledge gaps, and priorities for agricultural soil research across partner countries that participated in the European Joint Programme on Soil (EJP SOIL) 2020–2025. Two complementary stakeholder activities—a survey and a workshop—were conducted across 24 partner countries (divided into four regions: Central, Northern, Southern, and Western Europe) of the EJP SOIL consortium in 2024. Among 10 pre-identified soil challenges, the findings highlight that maintaining or increasing soil organic carbon, avoiding soil sealing, and avoiding soil erosion are the top three priorities across Europe. However, the perceived prioritisation of soil challenges differed both between and within regions, reflecting each country's specific soil health context. Divergences in perceptions between practitioners and other stakeholder groups underscore the need to develop actions aimed at better understanding the rationale behind such discrepancies and how to overcome them. In addition, other key challenges for achieving sustainable soil management across Europe include limited funding, policy incoherencies, poor knowledge dissemination and co- creation, and insufficient soil monitoring. Environmental factors influencing soil health, including climate change, together with governance and economic models, were perceived to be critical limitations to the adoption of sustainable management of agricultural soils. This study also emphasises the need for a diversity of engagement methods, policies, and system approaches to support a transition towards sustainable soil management. These findings underscore the need for future research agendas that focus on integrated knowledge and participatory approaches, and strategies involving societal awareness and policy alignment—key elements that have also informed broader strategies involving societal awareness and engagement towards sustainable soil management in Europe.