Approved work: Biomass energy
This POSTnote will consider the sustainability of biomass crop feedstocks grown in the UK, and the land use and other challenges that may arise.
Documents to download
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Securing UK Soil Health (345 KB , PDF)
Key points in this POSTnote include:
- Soils filter and store water, support agriculture and other plant and animal communities, and harbour a quarter of the world’s biodiversity.
- Soil is a renewable resource but can be permanently degraded by pressures such as urbanisation or erosion. Degradation of peat soils releases CO2 to the atmosphere.
- Arable soil health can be improved by appropriate cropping and organic matter inputs, but poor management can lead to erosion, degradation of soil fertility and reductions in water-holding capacity.
- The evidence base for soil management has been challenging to develop because soils improve slowly. There is no UK-wide scheme for monitoring soil health.
Documents to download
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Securing UK Soil Health (345 KB , PDF)
Related posts
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Approved work: Urban Outdoor Air quality
This POSTnote will summarise the evidence for different measures to mitigate emissions from different sources of air pollution.
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Invasive non-native species
Research suggests that the threat from invasive non-native species (INNS) is growing. Biological invasions by INNS harm native species and habitats and can have economic impacts. Biosecurity measures can be adopted to prevent the introduction and spread of INNS. This POSTnote summarises the drivers and impacts of INNS and the measures needed to meet national and international environmental targets.
