YPAC 2015

The term “soil” is not limited to the surface of the Earth’s crust used by agriculture. It is much more than that: It sustains life in the terrestrial eco systems and performs essential ecosystem services. Put simply: No soil – no plants – no animals – no people. This is especially true in the Alpine ecosystems since soils in the Alps are much more vulnerable. However, when well managed and protected, they improve our lives.

Food in the general sense of biomass that sustains living organisms, material that can be converted to provide energy and nutrition, to a great extent initially derived from photosynthesis.

Waste treatment: Waste is an unwanted or useless material and, in natural ecosystems, there is no such thing as waste because all materials are utilised, cycled and recycled. One organism’s waste is another’s resource. Leaf litter on a forest floor, for example, is decomposed (e.g. by fungi and soil biota) and the nutrients made available for new growth. Animal feces are similarly sources of nutrients.

The forest area has increased in Europe over the last six decades. Today, forests cover nearly 40 % of the European surface and are home to much of the continent’s biodiversity. In addition to the supply of wood, to which most forested European land is dedicated, forests provide a multitude of benefits in terms of climate regulation, human health, recreation, refuges, fresh water supply and many others.

Today, European forest ecosystems face multiple natural and anthropogenic threats. For instance, a changing climate is producing increased droughts in the Mediterranean; forest disturbances are foreseen to increase (forest fires, invasive pests), and competing socio-economic demands for forest goods and services can result in multiple drivers of forest change. Forests are also used as a renewable source of energy in the Alpine region.

These are the non-material benefits people obtain from ecosystems through spiritual enrichment, cognitive development, reflection, recreation, and aesthetic experiences.

• cultural (including the use of nature as a motif in literature, film, painting, folklore, national symbols, architecture, advertising, etc.)
• spiritual and historical (including the use of nature for religious or heritage value or natural)
• recreational experiences (including ecotourism, outdoor sports, and recreation)
• science and education (including the use of natural systems for school excursions, and scientific discovery)