*CA-CoP* *CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE* *for sustainable production intensification* Dear Subscribers, Please see herebelow the European Soil Data Centre Newsletter No 85 (January 2016). *Amir Kassam * *Moderator* e-mail: [log in to unmask] URL: www.fao.org/ag/ca *De:* [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]] *En nombre de *Panos Panagos *Enviado el:* martes, 26 de enero de 2016 17:51 *Para:* [log in to unmask] *Asunto:* European Soil Data Centre Newsletter No. 85 (January 2016) - http://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/public_path/newsletter/201601.pdf European Soil Data Centre (ESDAC): http://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu <http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu> ESDAC Newsletter No *85* (January 2016) *Potential threats to soil biodiversity in the EU* <http://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/content/potential-threats-soil-biodiversity-europe> A recently published JRC article maps the potential threats to three categories of soil biodiversity (namely soil microorganisms, fauna and biological functions), and gives guidelines for identifying soils that are potentially at risk. Ranking the threats to soil biodiversity based on the knowledge of 107 soil experts from 21 countries, the study found the potential risk to soil biodiversity to be remarkably high. JRC developed normalised indices of potential risk to soil biodiversity based on assessments of the threat associated to 13 possible stressors: climate change, landuse change, habitat fragmentation, intensive human exploitation, soil organic matter decline, industrial pollution, nuclear pollution, soil compaction, soil erosion, soil sealing, soil salinisation, the use of GMOs in agriculture and invasive species. Data are available for the soil biodiversity threats plus the 13 input layers: http://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/content/potential-threats-soil-biodiversity-europe *Soil threats in Europe: status, methods, drivers and effects on ecosystem services* <http://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/content/soil-threats-europe-status-methods-drivers-and-effects-ecosystem-services> This report presents some results of the RECARE project. One of the project’s objectives is to provide an improved overview of existing information on soil threats and degradation at the European scale. The report is written by a group of experts from the RECARE team, coordinated by Bioforsk. In total, 60 persons were involved in the process of writing, reviewing and editing. Eleven soil threats were considered: soil erosion by water, soil erosion by wind, decline of organic matter (OM) in peat, decline of OM in mineral soils, soil compaction, soil sealing, soil contamination, soil salinization, desertification, flooding and landslides, and decline in soil biodiversity. http://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/public_path/shared_folder/doc_pub/EUR27607.pdf *FOCUS DG SANTE : FOrum for Co-ordination of pesticide fate models and their USe* <http://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/projects/focus-dg-sante> Plant protection products have an important role in agricultural production and food security, and ensuring their safety to man and the environment is of paramount importance. The work of FOCUS was based on a close co-operation between scientists of regulatory agencies, academia and industry, under the auspices of the Commission's DG SANTE, and subject to the opinion of EFSA, or in the case of the surface water guidance and tools the Commission’s Scientific Committee on plants. From ESDAC, the currently approved versions of FOCUS simulation models and FOCUS scenarios (that are used to calculate the concentrations of plant protection products in groundwater and surface water in the EU review process) can be obtained: http://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/projects/focus-dg-sante *8**th** ESSC International conference "Soil – Our Common Future"* <http://essc2016.conference.ubbcluj.ro/> The 2016 International Conference of the European Society for Soil Conservation (ESSC) will be celebrated in Cluj Napoca (Romania), 15-18 of June. The conference stresses the vital interconnection between soil and life, as well as its importance for the future of the human society. Abstract submission deadline: 31.1.2016. http://essc2016.conference.ubbcluj.ro/ *More Details* *Download the ESDAC Newsletter*: PDF Format <http://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/content/january-2016>. *Feedback*: [log in to unmask] ESDAC Alerts are e-mailed to more than 6400 scientists. Please forward the ESDAC Alerts to your colleagues. ######################################################################## To unsubscribe from the CA-Cop-L list, click the following link: &*TICKET_URL(CA-Cop-L,SIGNOFF);