Soils bring life to settlements

Healthy soils are essential for quality of life: they are the basis for agriculture, for trees, gardens and parks. During heavy rainfall, they soak up rainwater, and on hot days they cool the air. Soils need to be treated with care if they are to perform their many functions. To mark International Soil Day on December 5, 2022, public authorities, agricultural representatives, nature conservation organizations, and experts from science and spatial planning are committed to preserving soils in urban areas. Soils are under pressure: around 60 percent of settlement areas in Switzerland are built on or concreted over, asphalted or paved over. To mark International Soil Day on December 5, 2022 (see box), national and cantonal authorities as well as organizations from the fields of science, nature conservation, agriculture and spatial planning are joining forces to call for better consideration of the multiple functions of soils in planning and use and to keep soils healthy. Living soils fulfill production, regulatory and habitat functions and thus meet a multitude of different demands.