From the Ground Up: Recognising The Critical Role of Soil for Biodiversity Net Gain and Sustainable Development

In collaboration with:                                                                                                                      

Description

Soils have historically been under-valued and as a result have been damaged, degraded and even disposed of to landfill as a result of construction activities. Ecological restoration, including through Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) highlights the need to understand and focus on soil resources, as ecologists need to match habitat requirements to soil characteristics. They also need to collaborate with soil scientists and other stakeholders to access expertise and evidence. Failure to do so risks missing opportunities to identify, protect, and optimise use of soils and soil-forming materials, recommending habitats that can’t be created, or creating habitats that can only be sustained with excessive management.
Recent advances, such as publications by British Society of Soil Science (BSSS), IEMA, the Soils in Planning and Construction Task Force, and updates to CIEEM’s EcIA guidelines, have sought to shift the dial and highlight the critical importance of soils, soil health and soil function in the context of development. This is leading to a greater appreciation of soils and the role they play in supporting sustainable development and BNG, but there are still large gaps in this appreciation and in how soils are treated during construction. Soil is so often seen as the material lying in the way of construction starting, which needs to be scraped up and stockpiled as quickly as possible.

The panel for this webinar will bring a range of perspectives to this topic, looking at how soils are perceived and understood by those involved in planning and implementation, and sharing case studies of how better re-use of soil materials can be achieved to maximise appropriate use and thus deliver the best outcomes in terms of circularity, landscape, BNG, water management, social value, increased climate resilience and wider Environmental Net Gain.

We’re delighted that panellists will include members of both CIEEM and BSSS including Dr Bruce Lascelles CEnv MCIEEM F.I. Soil Sci, UK Director for Climate Smart and Sustainable Land Management at Arcadis Consulting (UK) Ltd., current Past President and a Fellow of BSSS, and President Elect of the International Union of Soil Sciences, and Sam Bower CEnv MCIEEM MArborA, Head of Sustainability: Ecology, Biodiversity, and Arboriculture, at Balfour Beatty plc. They will also be joined by Dr. Jess Potts, Consultant Soil Scientist at Arcadis and Liv Hoyland, Soil specialist Consultant at Arcadis, who will be chairing this event.

Knowledge Level

Suitable for all

If you are a BSSS Member you can attend this webinar for free. Please select a CIEEM member ticket when booking.  

Tickets