The research in area of sustainable soil use and protection - actual tasks and perspectives with regard to Slovak conditions | Výskum v oblasti ochrany a udržateľného využívania pôdy - aktuálne úlohy a perspektívy s prihliadnutím na podmienky Slovenska

Soil, as one of the basic components of environment, influences not only production of plant and animal products but also majority of environmental issues and many socio-economic aspects of human life. To the main problems of soil research, recently being solved in Slovakia, belongs: i) analysis, evaluation, modelling the evolution of soil parameters in time as a base for efficient soil preservation and mitigation of risk originating from climate change, and ii) creation of spatial information for multifunctional soil use in the landscape. Basic problems for research, which results will be fully used for creation of European and national soil policy, will in next period include also detection and prediction of soil properties & quality and soil degradation, as well as creation of information utilizable at soil evaluation, the proposals of sustainable soil use and efficient protection. Interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral research in area of soil/landscape use and protection will be oriented on reaching long-term goals in harmony with basic principles of life: functionality, adaptability and sustainability. Soil research will unequivocally head towards decrease of negative externalities arising from incorrect or improper soil use that in long-term perspective determinate sustainable soil use and the amount of financial costs that are/will be connected with regulatory measures and increased production costs. Creation of digital information and knowledge systems permanently reconfiguring contents and goals of application will be the main area of soil research development, soil use and its protection. Besides traditional observation of soil use in the landscape, research will be more oriented on searching for ways and methods to detect soil properties with use of remote sensing techniques. Evaluation of natural resource use (soil inclusive) presumes in-depth analysis of factors causing or promoting creation of soil degradation processes or restricted adaptation of efficient measures. Mentioned involves also action of individuals in relation to use of natural resources. Consequently, the need to connect the endeavour of environmental research together with sociological one to obtain answer on basic question arises: why don't the soil users want or are unable to prevent the accelerated degradation of environment, including soil? The validity of (till now absenting) research, closely related to soil use and protection, increases, from the view of soil quality and other environmental issues provision as a basic demand determining quality of human life in long-term horizon. Solution of interdisciplinary oriented projects will presume extending cooperation among institutes in area of modelling natural processes in landscape, economic evaluation of environmental issues, as well as evaluation of the social and sociological aspects of soil use/protection in landscape. Creating national research centres of excellence represents one way of building cross-sector oriented research. Results of soil research must reach practical life. At the transfer of knowledge and spatial information into practice, the importance of development of information and expert systems on use of soil and landscape will increase.