It has been held every 5 December since 2015, the year in which the UN designated the date at the request of the FAO

The Basque Country is at the European cutting-edge in this field – which is fundamental for health, biodiversity, ecosystems, food security and to combat climate change – with the recent approval of the 2030 Soil Protection Strategy and the holding of SOILUZIOAK 2023, the first Basque soil protection congress in October.

This year's World Soil Day, whose slogan is 'Soil and Water: a Source of Life', aims to raise awareness of the importance for our planet of the relationship between soil and water.

Improper soil and water management practices affect soil erosion, soil biodiversity, soil fertility, and quality and quantity of a vital resource such as water; however, there are sustainable soil management practices that improve soil health, reduce erosion and pollution, and enhance water infiltration and storage. These practices also preserve soil biodiversity, improve fertility, and contribute to carbon sequestration, playing a crucial role in the fight against climate change.

More information: https://www.fao.org/world-soil-day/en/

SOILUZIOAK 2023, the soil protection event of the year.

The Basque Government's commitment in this area led to the first Soil Protection Congress of the Basque Country - SOILUZIOAK 2023 being held, which gathered together over 350 specialists that contributed solutions for the management of this natural resource.

SOILUZIOAK 2023 embarked, in the words of the Ihobe General Manager, Alexander Boto, “on the path to move to action in the integral management, by establishing the necessary partnerships to achieve the global goal set for 2050: zero net land degradation”.

On the www.soiluzioak.eus website, the papers, a photo gallery, along with interviews and many other videos of interest are available.

Accordingly, the Basque Country has a specific strategy, an environmental planning that is a trailblazer in Europe; it is committed to effective governance that is essential to guarantee the mainstreaming of the policies involved in soil protection.

That is the Basque Soil Protection Strategy 2030 that, since June 2022, has strived to meet the global goal of net zero degradation by 2050. The strategy, coordinated by the Basque Government's Ministry of Economic Development, Sustainability and the Environment, seeks to ensure that soil is managed sustainability by the mid-century. It will thus guarantee the health and functions of the soil in the long-term and its use for future generations.

Experiences in the Ekoetxea Network

The Ekoetxea Environmental Centres Network has designed the "Soil and Water: A Source of Life" digital experience, for younger people to take part in the day virtually from their schools to raise awareness about the importance of soil. It is a fun and interactive adventure in teams by means of which the schools of the Basque Country will work on curriculum content related to sustainable soil management. The dynamics will address the causes of climate change and its impacts on the ecosystems, the functions of the atmosphere and hydrosphere and their fundamental role for life on Earth, the importance of the sustainable habits for conserving the ecosystems, and the relationship between the environment, human health and that of other living beings.

The experience is in addition to others referring to the soil, such as “A ras del suelo” [At Ground Level], and an adaptation of the ‘Jenga’ game; it will be played at Ekoetxea Txingudi and will allow the participating families to learn about the importance of soil as a non-renewable resource and about the natural diversity that lives in it, along with the factors that harm it. Ekoetxea will run another activity to discover different types of soil in the former La Arboleda mining area. The participants will be able to learn about the influence of those soils on the different human activities down through the ages.