Net zero also applies to soil protection
Whether as the basis for agricultural production, as a filter for our drinking water, as a CO₂ store, or as a recreational area: Soil has diverse, vital functions. The Federal Office for Spatial Development shows how sustainable spatial development can help to preserve soil in the long term.
Due to construction activity, erosion or pollutants, the soil in Switzerland is burdened from many sides. To counteract this situation, the Federal Council adopted the Swiss Soil Strategy in 2020 and specified it with a package of measures. The core concern is to ensure that no more net soil is lost in Switzerland by 2050.
In the new issue "Forum Spatial Development of the Federal Office for Spatial Development ARE shows how sustainable spatial development can help to preserve soil in the long term . "Net zero" therefore also applies to soil protection after climate protection - and this parallel policy is not accidental, Damian Jerjen, Director of the EspaceSuisse Spatial Planning Association, makes clear in his contribution: "Spatial planning has a responsibility to use its instruments for climate protection and thus also to protect soil." Because, on the one hand, these must make a maximum contribution to climate protection. On the other hand, they help to adapt to the unavoidable consequences of climate change.
In the past, many areas have lost quality due to human impact. However, damaged soils are not necessarily retired from agricultural use forever, as a text from the canton of Zurich shows. The systematically recorded indication areas for anthropogenic soils list where excavated soil can be recycled and possibly contribute to the creation of a new crop rotation area. Conversely, the map makes it possible to guide zoning and construction projects in such a way that soils that have remained natural are spared as much as possible.
In an interview, Adèle Thorens Goumaz, member of the Council of States (VD) and expert on biodiversity issues, calls for greater expertise to be developed on soil quality. Another crux, she says, is the decentralized decision-making structure, which leads to problems in spatial planning and quantitative soil management. Thorens Goumaz suggests first agreeing on the agriculture of the future. "Only then should we work on spatial planning, not the other way around."
Finally, the report illustrates how today, after the completion of work on the Ceneri Base Tunnel, the construction site used for 15 years is being renaturalized. Enormous masses of soil, which were carefully stored temporarily, are returned to their original parcel, are rebuilt into fertile soil and can be used again for vegetable cultivation in just a few years.
Source: Federal Office for Spatial Development
