Ravi Naidu, a Laureate Professor at the University of Newcastle and Managing Director of Australian contaminants research centre, CRC CARE, will chair the International Network on Soil Pollution (INSOP)
The network was set up by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) as an urgent response to scale-up global efforts to prevent contamination of arable soils by chemicals, fertilisers and plastics and other toxins, with the goal of zero pollution.
It brings together experts in soils and contamination science from around the world to understand the full cycle of soil pollution, from assessment to remediation to the food chain, and find ways to prevent and clean it up, to protect both human health and the environment.
It also helps countries to strengthen their laws, codes of practice and technical skills to avoid pollution of food-growing soils and human food.
“Soil pollution is a large and growing dimension of our increasingly contaminated world,” Professor Naidu said. “It has a multitude of causes, including overuse of farm chemicals and fertilisers, industrial fallout from big cities and the transport sector, the widespread distribution of tiny plastic fragments, acid rain, and other forms of toxic and hazardous waste.
According to Professor Naidu, farmers worldwide are already making significant progress implementing sustainable low- and no‑till cropping regimes to preserve moisture.
“Nevertheless,” he said, “given recent advances in farm management, including precision agriculture, there are excellent opportunities to reduce the 200 million tonnes of fertilisers and 5 million tonnes of pesticides added to farmed soils globally each year. INSOP will support farmers in best practice to build long-term soil heath and minimise the environmental impacts of agriculture, such as nitrogen pollution from fertilisers.
Professor Naidu emphasised that there is mounting evidence that soil pollution directly affects the quality and safety of the world food supply and may be a growing factor in human disease and premature death.
“Furthermore,” he said, “if you contaminate the soil, the pollution can spread to groundwater and surface water, affecting the safety of drinking water.”
The new network will develop tools and guidelines to prevent soil pollution, develop a universal code of practice for fertiliser use, establish regional guidelines for controlling soil pollution and best practice and develop guidelines for cleaning up heavily polluted soils.
Professor Naidu has been a leader in Australian contamination and clean-up science for more than 30 years. He has authored more than 1000 scientific papers, books and book chapters, and holds 13 patents. He has worked at CSIRO as a Chief Research Scientist, and at the University of South Australia and the University of Newcastle to establish and lead globally recognised contaminants research centres. In 2005 he founded CRC CARE to help industry in Australia understand and overcome its contamination issues.
The Chairman of CRC CARE, former senator Sean Edwards, said that Professor Naidu’s appointment was both a recognition of Australia’s high international standing in contamination and remediation science, and a tribute to his distinguished leadership in the field over more than a generation.
For more information, visit: www.newcastle.edu.au
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