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Soil quality indicators – From soil functions to ecosystem services - ScienceDirect
Source: sciencedirect.com
Article summary:
1. A novel approach to soil quality assessment is proposed, which links soil functions to various ecosystem services.
2. The Soil Quality Index SQUID is applied to ten suburban municipalities in Switzerland, and compared with an established soil quality index designed for spatial planning.
3. The SQUID index has the potential to better integrate soil quality into decision-making by overcoming disciplinary boundaries and fostering trade-off discussions between different soil use interests.
Article analysis:
The article “Soil Quality Indicators – From Soil Functions to Ecosystem Services” provides a comprehensive overview of a novel approach to assessing soil quality based on its ability to support various ecosystem services (ES). The authors present the Soil Quality Index SQUID (Soil QUality InDicator), which links a set of ten different soil functions to various ESs using an expert-based Delphi approach. They then apply it to ten suburban municipalities in Switzerland, and compare it with an established soil quality index designed for spatial planning (BOKS – soil concept Stuttgart).
The article is generally well written and provides a thorough overview of the proposed approach, as well as its potential benefits for decision-making processes related to soils. It is also supported by relevant research literature, which adds credibility to the claims made in the article. However, there are some points that could be improved upon in terms of trustworthiness and reliability. For example, while the authors provide evidence for their claims regarding the potential benefits of using SQUID for decision-making processes related to soils, they do not explore any possible risks associated with this approach or discuss any counterarguments that may exist against it. Additionally, while they provide evidence from research literature supporting their claims, they do not provide any evidence from real-world applications or case studies demonstrating how this approach has been used successfully in practice. Furthermore, while they discuss how this approach can help overcome disciplinary boundaries and foster trade-off discussions between different stakeholders with conflicting interests related to soils, they do not provide any concrete examples or suggestions on how this could be achieved in practice.
In conclusion, while the article provides a comprehensive overview of a novel approach for assessing soil quality based on its ability to support various ecosystem services (ES), there are some areas where more evidence could be provided in order to increase its trustworthiness and reliability.