Soil Ecosystem Services: A Task Force Report for a SSSA Position Paper.

Soil Ecosystem Services (SES) represent the sum total of the value of soils to society. Under the guidance of the Soil Science Society of America Board of Directors, a task force was appointed to develop a position paper to provide an overview of the range and diversity of SES for the benefit of SSSA members, educators, elected officials and affiliated groups. The task force report attempts to list the provisioning, regulating/supporting and cultural ecosystem services specific to soil that are responsible for “sustaining life”, for ecosystem and public health, and for playing a significant role in the cultural history of man. Provisioning services are many and varied ranging from real estate to food production. Regulatory/supporting services such as microbial diversity, water regulation, greenhouse gas production and remediation, and diminution of soil-borne diseases are described as to their function and importance. The role of soils as part of the human experience is addressed reminding us that the name Adam is Hebrew for soil, that soil is considered sacred by religions and cultures, and that it permeates our poetry and lyrics. The report summarizes the economic value of SES, providing the worth of soils in dollars to human society. This report will be useful for those individuals and organizations who wish to punctuate the role that soils play in their lives in figurative and real terms, as well as be a tool we all can use in educating our elected officials in the value of our resource and our science.