Occurrence Patterns and Management Implications in the Continental Pedoclimatic Region
Objectives
Plant Protection products (PPPs) residues in soils are an environmental concern that requires special attention due to their potential impacts on ecosystems and public health, especially in agricultural and urban areas. In the EU Continental pedoclimatic region, we assessed the occurrence of 72 PPPs across different land uses (urban, agricultural, mining, semi-natural, and forest) at three management intensities.
Results
Pesticide occurrence was mainly detected in urban, agricultural, and semi-natural land uses, whereas no pesticide residues were found in mining and forest land uses. Fungicides and DDT-related residues were the most common pesticide residues, with differences in intensity, especially under agricultural conditions and land uses where PPPs have been applied. Even though PPPs have not been applied in urban and especially in semi-natural areas, high levels and diversity of pesticide residues were found, highlighting that pesticides can appear from previous uses.
Recommendations
Given the widespread occurrence of PPP residues across multiple land uses, particularly in urban and semi-natural areas where pesticides have not been recently applied, long-term monitoring programs should be established to track residue persistence and accumulation over time.
LINKING SOIL BIODIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS AND SERVICES IN DIFFERENT LAND USES: FROM THE IDENTIFICATION OF DRIVERS, PRESSURES AND CLIMATE CHANGE RESILIENCE TO THEIR ECONOMIC VALUATION
Ongoing | 2023-2028
- Main funding source
- Horizon Europe (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
- Geographical location
- Spain, Germany, Latvia, Switzerland