Helsinki, Finland - In Finland there are some 100,000 to 200,000 hectares of acid sulphate soils under cultivation, mostly in Southern Ostrobothnia, The acid and metal loadings from these soils have degraded the water quality in rivers, lakes and coastal waters. The loading risk is expected to increase with the climate change. A new EU project will search for methods to enhance water protection in areas of acid sulphate soils.

Within the framework of the LIFE programme, EU has granted 1,2 million euro to the project "Climate Change Adaptation Tools for Environmental Risk Mitigation of Acid Sulphate Soils" (CATERMASS), coordinated by the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE). The project will be carried in the years 2010-2012 and its total budget is about 2,8 million euro.

The objective of the project is to find methods to reduce the environmental risks of acid sulphate soils and to adapt the land use and water protection in these areas to the changing climate. To reduce the risks for waters, fish populations and ecosystems, we need more information on the problem soils, on the development of exposure to acidity and metals, on various types of environmental risks, on objects that should be prioritized, and on possible methods to protect the waters and how they work in a changing climate.

"The project is very challenging. The problem soils are located on privately owned agricultural lands, and in many places we would need a change of drainage and cultivation methods. This is only possible through a broad-based and participative process in which both scientific and socioeconomic aspects are considered", says research specialist Kari-Matti Vuori at the Finnish Environment Institute.

In addition to SYKE, there are several participants of the project. Moreover, the intention is to get a wide scope of interest groups involved in the project, particularly those who participate in the river system delegations. Activities will take place within all water systems that are known or expected to be affected by acid sulphate soils.

Quelle: Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE)

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