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Published October 25, 2024 | Version v1
Dataset Open

Global knowledge and use of soil biodiversity: Results of an expert survey

Creators

  • 1. ROR icon Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation
  • 2. Universidade Federal do Paraná
  • 3. ROR icon Wageningen University & Research
  • 4. ROR icon University of Coimbra
  • 5. University of Western Ontario
  • 6. ROR icon University of Alberta
  • 7. ROR icon University of Bologna
  • 8. Universidad de La Salle
  • 9. ROR icon Joint Research Centre
  • 10. ROR icon Colorado State University
  • 11. ROR icon Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
  • 12. ROR icon Western Sydney University

Description

A global survey on soil biodiversity was conducted over a three week period in March 2022 by the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, as part of the activities of the International Network on Soil Biodiversity (NETSOB). The survey intended to obtain information on the current status of knowledge and use of soil organisms worldwide, i.e., to identify who is doing what, where, and how, as well as the main gaps, pitfalls, and opportunities across existing national initiatives and research. It included 122 questions that characterized the work undertaken by experts regarding microbes, fauna, and their activity in soils, community & functional assessments, inventories, mapping and monitoring activities, ecosystem services, applications, and threats to soil biodiversity, education, and communication activities, as well as public policies related to soil biodiversity. The online survey was created using the software Survey Monkey v. 11 and was sent out to over 70 thousand e-mail addresses with a link to complete the survey. 

Over 2,600 responses were received, representing >1,350 institutions from 135 countries, mainly from experts active in research and academia. The number of respondents was not equal for all questions, as the survey guided the respondents to different parts, depending on their replies. The 122 questions and the replies of the respondents are presented as separate tabs in the Excel file. The respondents and their identities, as well as their e-mails and any personal websites were removed in the current file to maintain anonymity. Institutional websites were maintained as long as they did not identify the respondent(s) directly. 

A detailed written description of the survey results was prepared as a manuscript for the journal Soil Organisms (Brown et al., submitted), while a condensed version with a selection of the results was sent to the journal Science (Parnell et al., submitted).

The survey was prepared by a team of scientists from the Brazilian Corporation for Agricultural Research (Embrapa) and collaborating institutions, with assistance from the board of the International Network on Soil Biodiversity (NETSOB), and with funding provided by the FAO, and supported by the Fundação de Apoio a Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Agropecuário Edmundo Gastal (FAPEG), Brazil. 

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Additional details

Funding

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
National Council for Scientific and Technological Development
Soil fauna and earthworms in Brazil: synthesis of present knowledge and their ecosystem services 312824/2022-0