Soil and the 2030 Agenda: a webinar in Verona (also in streaming) on Feb. 17

The event, sponsored by WWF in collaboration with Re Soil Foundation, Arma dei Carabinieri and University of Verona, will be broadcast live on Youtube. Theme of the meeting: the role of soil in the path toward the UN Goals

by Matteo Cavallito

The centrality of soil and its protection in the overall efforts to achieve many Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda. This is the main theme of the meeting Natura e dintorni – Suolo e Agenda 2030 scheduled to take place at the “sala polifunzionale della seconda circoscrizione”in Verona, Italy, on Feb. 17. The event, promoted by the local section of WWF in collaboration with Re Soil, University of Verona and Carabinieri Biodiversity Regiment, will also be streamed on YouTube.

Spreading knowledge about soil

There are many comprehensive strategies that directly or indirectly involve land use. To achieve them, organizers explain, it is first necessary to understand the functioning of the soil system, “properly managing its main physical, chemical and biological properties, and preventing its causes of degradation.” Studying these environments and spreading awareness of the problem, in short, is an essential activity, promoted, moreover, by several specific projects.

These include Prepsoil. an initiative created with the aim of “supporting the implementation of the EU’s Mission Soil  by creating awareness and knowledge of soil needs among stakeholders in European regions.”

The project aims to improve the knowledge base on the issue by working together with innovation centers on the ground such as Living Labs and LightHouse Farms and reaching a broad audience including universities, citizens, students, teachers, soil monitoring agencies and civil society as a whole. Under the program, Re Soil Foundation is in charge of dissemination, communication, stakeholder engagement, identification of land needs, mapping of innovative actors (“living labs” and “light-houses,” indeed), monitoring and promotion of education and knowledge.

The event, part of the series of meetings Natura e Dintorni 2025, addresses the crucial issue of soil, a key resource for achieving many Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda. Image: WWF

Speakers

Three experts will speak at the Verona meeting:

Claudio Zaccone is Associate Professor in Agricultural Chemistry at the University of Verona, as well as an associate member of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) and the Accademia dei Georgofili. He is Chair of Division 4 “The Role of Soils in Sustaining Society and the Environment” of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS), Past President of the Soil System Sciences division of the European Geosciences Union (EGU), and President of the Italian Society of Soil Science (SISS).

Vincenzo Adriani holds a degree in Forestry and Environmental Sciences, is Lt. Col. Commander of the Carabinieri Biodiversity Unit in Verona and Commander of the National Biodiversity Center in Peri (Vr). He is the referent and coordinates the activities of the Technical Secretariat for State Nature Reserves at the Carabinieri Biodiversity Regiment in Rome and is the referent for relations with the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security regarding the updating of data form standards and conservation measures for Natura 2000 sites managed by the Carabinieri.

Caterina Capri received a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural and Agroforestry Sciences and then a master’s degree in Agrifood Technologies with a specialization in Viticulture and Enology. She later did a PhD on the selection of herbaceous species for use in Mediterranean vineyards based on water consumption, epigeal biomass and root characterization. She currently works as a trainer at the Soil Food Web School and as a Soil Health Specialist at Re Soil Foundation.