1. Background

Nearly a quarter of all Earth’s species spend all or part of their lives in soil, playing essential roles in maintaining healthy ecosystems and delivering ecosystem services. Black soils, prized for their rich organic matter content and exceptional fertility, are a vital resource. Despite covering only 5.6% of global land and accommodating 17% of the world’s cropland, black soils are incredibly productive. Crops grown on black soils not only sustain the 223 million people living on them but also supply various commodities to countries worldwide. Remarkably, 66% of global sunflower seeds, 51% of small millet, 42% of sugar beet, 30% of wheat, and 26% of potatoes are harvested from black soils. Furthermore, black soils are a significant reservoir of soil organic carbon (SOC), holding 8.2% of the world’s total and offering the capacity to accommodate 10% of the global SOC sequestration potential. Black soil, a treasured gift from nature, holds multiple and interconnected functions in ensuring food security, supporting underground biodiversity, and mitigating climate change.

However, this rich treasure faces a significant threat. Unsustainable land use changes, management practices, and agrochemical use have caused widespread degradation in black soil regions, manifesting as moderate to severe erosion, nutrient imbalances, acidification, compaction, and loss of soil biodiversity. These factors have also led to a loss of at least half of the original carbon stocks. Climate change further exacerbates this decline. As a consequence, urgent action is needed to halt black soils degradation. Conservation efforts prioritize minimizing disturbance, improving soil structure, and restoring organic matter content. Practices like no-till farming,  optimized nutrients use, and mulching are crucial in this endeavor. These actions promote healthy soil ecosystems teeming with microorganisms and invertebrates, essential for soil fertility and overall ecosystem functioning.

On a broader scale, integrated ecosystem-based approaches are encouraged to achieve sustainable management. An ecosystem-based approach (also known as an ecosystem approach, http://www.cbd.int/ecosystem/) is “the integrated management of land, water, and living resources that promotes conservation and sustainable use in an equitable way.” This fosters positive interactions between biological, physical, economic, and human aspects, including incorporating valuable traditional knowledge. Such efforts significantly contribute to collective goals of securing food production and livelihoods, combating land degradation, promoting biodiversity, and regulating climate. This makes them particularly relevant to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), all of which mutually reinforce the objectives of the Rio Conventions.

Actions to halt black soil degradation will particularly contribute to the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework targets and decisions, including the ones that aim at enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services in degraded terrestrial ecosystems (Target 2), reducing negative impact of pollution by cutting down excess nutrients lost to environment and pesticides use (Target 7), increasing climate resilience through mitigation and adaptation by ecosystem-based approaches (Target 8) and sustainably managing areas under agriculture (Target 10). Other related decisions include Decision 13 on cooperation with other conventions, and the potential Decision 28 on biodiversity and agriculture, which focuses on addressing the direct and indirect drivers of soil biodiversity loss and land degradation.

China ranks third in the world in terms of the total area covered by black soils, spanning 1.09 million km², which contributes to about a quarter of China's grain output. The conservation of black soil has been designated as a national priority, evident in the implementation of various policies at the national level. These policies include the Outline of Northeast China Black Soil Protection Plan (2017-2030), the Action Plan for Conservation Tillage of Black Soils in Northeast China (2020-2025), and the enactment of the Black Soil Protection Law by the National People’s Congress of China in August 2022. Furthermore, black soil conservation aligns with the recently released China National Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP, 2023-2030), which underscores the importance of enhancing soil health and fostering synergies between climate action and biodiversity conservation through ecosystem-based approaches.

As the only country with dedicated legislation aimed at safeguarding, conserving, and promoting the sustainable management of black soils, China is also actively seeking collaboration with other countries possessing black soils. This collaboration could involve exchanging information and expertise, establishing joint technical and scientific programs, and capacity development. The ultimate goal is to catalyze the global conservation and sustainable use of these precious black soil resources.

2. Objectives

This side event aims to inspire large-scale, accelerated efforts to advance integrated ecosystem-based approaches for sustainable soil management in black soil regions in China and beyond. These efforts can stimulate the conservation and sustainable use of black soil resources around the world, with significant implications for food security, biodiversity and ecosystem health, climate resilience, and livelihoods. This aligns closely with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and multiple international environmental conventions, particularly the CBD, UNFCCC, and UNCCD – collectively known as the Rio Conventions. Specifically, the event is expected to inform deliberations at the CBD COP16 for potential Decision 28 on biodiversity and agriculture, which focuses on addressing the direct and indirect drivers of soil biodiversity loss and land degradation.

The event will:

1. Share the latest findings on the pressures to black soil health.
2. Demonstrate efforts that utilize integrated ecosystem-based approaches for the conservation and sustainable use of black soil resources.
3. Discuss how multi-stakeholder engagement, international cooperation, capacity development, and financial mechanisms could be leveraged to advance current endeavors.