State of functional soil biodiversity in Flanders

The main objective of this project is to investigate the current extent and state of functional soil biodiversity in Flemish forest and natural soils and the effects of physico-chemical soil properties and processes (acidification, eutrophication, desiccation,...) on this biodiversity. The use of efficient and robust methods, the development of reference values for various habitats and soil types and the mapping of spatial and temporal (seasonal) variation are essential before explanatory studies can be carried out and reliable policy instruments can be implemented.