98639 - Conservation and Sustainable Management of Soils: Tools and Practices

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of the course, the student understanding the importance of the soil resource globally and identify the main threats regarding soil degradation, loss of fertility and biodiversity. In particular, the student possesses the skills to acquire the methodologies managed through a suitable soil information system (GIS) to conduct advanced technical analyses on the state of degradation (erosion, pollution and salinization) of the soils. Moreover the student demonstrate critical awareness in evaluating different aspects regarding sustainable land management.

Course contents

Prerequisites

Students enrolling in this course should have a sound understanding of the fundamentals of soil science, soil chemistry and soil biochemistry, together with basic knowledge of pedology. They should also possess a good understanding of the principal climatic, biotic and abiotic factors controlling soil formation and evolution, including the main pedogenetic processes of additions, losses, transformations and translocations. Basic knowledge of landscape ecology, environmental sciences and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is recommended. Students must have a good command of the English language, as the course is delivered entirely in English.

 

Theoretical content of the teaching unit (total teaching unit: 24 hours)

1. Global Soil Challenges and Soil Conservation

• Global importance of soils as a strategic natural resource for food production, biodiversity conservation, climate regulation and ecosystem functioning.
• International and European policy frameworks for soil conservation, including the FAO Global Soil Partnership, the Status of the World's Soil Resources Report, the EU Soil Strategy for 2030 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
• Major soil degradation processes (erosion, soil organic carbon decline, salinisation, contamination, compaction, sealing, biodiversity loss and desertification), their causes, interactions and environmental impacts.
• Introduction to soil capability, land suitability and the role of soil information in supporting sustainable land management.

2. Soil functions, ecosystem services and soil health

• Soil functions as the basis for ecosystem services and sustainable agricultural production.
• Ecosystem services frameworks (MEA, TEEB, CICES) and concepts of natural capital.
• Soil health, soil quality and soil security: concepts, indicators and assessment approaches.
• Relationships between soil biodiversity, ecosystem resilience and climate change adaptation.
• Nature-based Solutions and ecosystem-based approaches for sustainable soil management.

3. Sustainable soil management and decision support systems

• Principles of Sustainable Soil Management (SSM) and Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA).
• Regenerative agriculture and precision agriculture as complementary approaches to sustainable land management.
• Soil information systems, Digital Soil Mapping and GIS-based decision support for monitoring soil degradation.
• National and international soil databases and geospatial datasets for environmental assessment.
• Applications of GIS for evaluating erosion, salinisation, contamination and other soil degradation processes.

4. Soil Conservation, Ecological Restoration and Landscape Management

• Principles of ecological restoration and the role of soils in ecosystem recovery.
• Soil conservation planning at field, farm and landscape scales.
• Restoration of degraded agricultural land, wetlands and contaminated sites.
• Monitoring restoration success through soil indicators, GIS and ecosystem service assessment.
• International initiatives and case studies on sustainable land management and ecological restoration.

Practical content of the teaching unit (total teaching unit 24 hours).

During the laboratory sessions students will develop practical skills in the use of GIS-based soil information systems and geospatial datasets for the assessment of soil degradation and the evaluation of sustainable soil management strategies.

Practical activities will include:

1. organisation and management of soil information systems and geospatial datasets in QGIS;
2. Digital Soil Mapping techniques for evaluating soil degradation processes and supporting sustainable land management;
3. terrain analysis, geomorphometry and hydropedological tools for erosion assessment and environmental vulnerability analysis;
4. application of GIS tools and plugins (e.g. Trend.Earth, LecoS, WhiteboxTools, VESPER and Smart-Map) for soil conservation and precision agriculture;
5. integration of land cover, terrain, climate and soil datasets for environmental assessment;
6. introduction to ecosystem service assessment using InVEST and related Natural Capital Project tools;
7. interpretation of GIS outputs to support sustainable land management and ecological restoration decisions.

Readings/Bibliography

The material and lecture notes provided by the instructor through the University's online learning platform (Insegnamenti OnLine) will constitute the primary teaching resources.

Students are encouraged to consult the following references for further study.

1. Frossard, E., Blum, W.E.H., & Warkentin, B.P. (2006). Function of Soils for Human Societies and the Environment. Geological Society Special Publication 266.
2. FAO & ITPS (2015). Status of the World's Soil Resources.
3. FAO-ITPS (2020). Protocol for the Assessment of Sustainable Soil Management.
4. Stanturf, J.A., & Callaham, M.A. (2021). Soils and Landscape Restoration. Academic Press.
5. Nair, K.P. (2019). Intelligent Soil Management for Sustainable Agriculture. Springer. 
6. FAO (2024). Global Soil Health Assessment.
7. Lal, R. (2020). Soil Health and Carbon Management.
8. Bünemann, E.K. et al. (2018). Soil quality – A critical review.
9. European Commission (2021). EU Soil Strategy for 2030.
10. Natural Capital Project – InVEST documentation.

Teaching methods

The course combines lectures with laboratory activities based on real-world case studies. Practical sessions will guide students in the use of soil information systems, GIS tools and geospatial datasets to assess soil degradation processes and evaluate sustainable soil management strategies. Laboratory activities will integrate Digital Soil Mapping, terrain analysis, geomorphometry and hydropedological approaches with ecosystem service assessment and spatial decision support tools. Particular emphasis will be placed on reproducible analytical workflows, data quality, critical interpretation of geospatial information and evidence-based decision-making.

The course is delivered in a blended learning format as part of the University's educational innovation initiative, integrating face-to-face teaching (40% of the total course hours) with online learning activities (60%).

Assessment methods

Student learning will be assessed through two complementary components:

1. An individual audio podcast (or an equivalent inclusive assessment option), accompanied by its complete written script (40% of the final grade);

1. A written examination (60% of the final grade).

The podcast (approximately 10 minutes) will focus on one selected soil degradation threat (e.g. soil erosion, salinisation, soil organic carbon decline, contamination, compaction or biodiversity loss) and its sustainable management. Students will critically discuss the selected topic using current scientific literature and relevant case studies, demonstrating their understanding of the degradation process, the available management strategies and their environmental implications. The podcast is intended to assess students' ability to communicate scientific concepts accurately, critically and effectively to a broad audience.

The written examination (approximately 120 minutes) will assess students' understanding of the theoretical and practical topics covered during the course, including global soil challenges, soil degradation processes, soil functions and ecosystem services, sustainable soil management, GIS-based soil information systems, and decision-support tools for soil conservation.

Together, the two assessment components are designed to evaluate students' knowledge and understanding of soil conservation principles, their ability to apply soil information systems and GIS methodologies for assessing soil degradation, and their critical awareness in evaluating sustainable land management strategies.

Assessment rubric

Assessment will be expressed on the Italian 30-point grading scale according to the following criteria:

Audio podcast (40%)

Assessment Criterion  - Weight

Scientific accuracy and technical content - 30%

Understanding of the selected soil degradation process - 30%

Critical evaluation of sustainable soil management options - 25%

Clarity, creativity, organisation, communication effectiveness and use of supporting scientific evidence - 15%

Written examination (60%)

The written examination will assess students' ability to:

• explain the global importance of soil resources and the main threats to soil conservation;
• identify and discuss the principal soil degradation processes;
• demonstrate understanding of GIS-based soil information systems and their application to soil degradation assessment;
• critically evaluate sustainable soil management practices and decision-support approaches.

The final grade will be awarded on the Italian 30-point grading scale. A passing grade (18/30) will be awarded to students demonstrating satisfactory achievement of the course learning outcomes, particularly with respect to understanding soil degradation processes, the appropriate use of soil information systems, and the critical evaluation of sustainable soil management strategies.

Higher grades will reflect increasing levels of scientific understanding, methodological rigour, critical thinking, integration of geospatial information, and clarity of technical communication.

Honours (30 cum laude) may be awarded to students who, in addition to meeting the requirements for the highest grade, demonstrate outstanding scientific understanding, excellent critical analysis, effective integration of theory and practice, and exceptional communication skills in both the podcast and the written examination.

Teaching tools

The course will make use of personal computers, e-learning platforms and open-source software for geospatial analysis and soil information system applications, including QGIS, SAGA GIS, Trend.Earth, WhiteboxTools, VESPER, Smart-Map (and others available) and selected ecosystem service assessment tools such as InVEST.

Students will work with national and international soil databases, Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), land cover datasets, Copernicus satellite imagery, orthophotos and other freely available geospatial datasets to analyse soil degradation processes and evaluate sustainable soil management strategies.

All teaching materials, laboratory exercises, datasets and supporting documentation will be made available through the University's online learning platform.

Office hours

See the website of Marcello Di Bonito