Introduction to Ecological Risk Assessment - Dealing with Contaminated Sites: From Theory Towards Practical Application - page 584

in the EU Thematic Soil Strategy (Commission of the European Communities
2006 ). The European Soil Framework Directive, which is in the process of develop-
ment, does not cover soil Biodiversity directly. Biodiversity will generally benefit
from the measures proposed for other threats. This will contribute to achieving the
objective of halting the decline in Biodiversity by 2010. Not enough is known about
soil Biodiversity to give technical and political guidelines on how to handle and
protect it. This is addressed in the Seventh EU Research Framework Programme,
with a view to gaining a better understanding of the function of Biodiversity as an
environmental service. This knowledge-building process will also be supported by
ongoing initiatives under the Convention on Biological Diversity.
The urge to protect Biodiversity may be argued from different perspectives. For
many fundamental biologists and ecologists, safeguarding Biodiversity is simply a
normal aspect of dealing with our planet. They use the motto 'live and let live'.
Others support this idea from an ethical, spiritual or religious perspective. From an
ethical or spiritual viewpoint, many humans are aware of the enormous pressure
that the human population is exerting on the planet and the fact that we might expe-
rience repercussions if we do not improve our behaviour, including caring for all
living organisms. Religious reasons may arise from the Christian-based principle
that humanity has been entrusted by God with the planet's stewardship, and that
humans have the Christian duty to safeguard its precious balance. A rather extreme
example of protection of the ecosystem from a religious perspective can be found
among the Jains, followers of Jainism, the religion and philosophy originating in
ancient India, who advocate the equality of all living organisms, no matter their
appearance, size or function (Chapple 2006 ).
The significance of the preservation of Biodiversity was widely acknowledged
on a global scale at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro (often called the Earth Summit ) (United
Nations 1992 ). Cooperation among nations, in a spirit of global partnership,
for the purpose of conserving, protecting and restoring the health and integrity
of the Earth's ecosystem, was the focus of the summit, a principle that still
echoes in today's environmental policy discussions. Besides the intrinsic value of
Biodiversity as grounds for protection, the functional aspects of Biodiversity were
also mentioned in the treaty.
Since the soil is inhabited by a large number of species differing widely in size,
complexity and in their role in different processes, the different soil-dwelling species
tend to be valued differently. It must be realized, however, that soil organisms live in
a complex mutually dependent relationship. One organism serves as food for another
organism, for example (see Fig. 13.2 for an example of a food web); intermediates
in nutrient cycling performed by specific groups of organisms are essential for the
survival of other species. In other words, different species need each other and the
value of specific species must always be considered from the perspective of the
functioning of the whole ecosystem.
There is a relationship between Biodiversity and the quality of Ecosystem
Services (e.g., Griffiths et al. 2001 ). However, this relationship is very complex, and
hard to quantify. Nevertheless, except for the sole protection of species, Biodiversity