World Soil Day

World Soil Day (WSD) is an international holiday that has been celebrated annually on December 5th since 2014. Its goal is to draw attention to the importance of careful management of soil as a conditionally renewable natural resource. The idea for the holiday was put forward by the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) during the 17th World Congress, held in Bangkok in August 2002. The organization wanted to install it in recognition of the enormous contribution to land conservation by Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The WSD logo is a planet with land-covered continents and a plant on top. The holiday was officially established in 2013 by the United Nations, which named it one of the priorities on its list. The UN pointed out the great importance of soil protection for preserving biodiversity, reducing water and air pollution, preserving the climate, and ensuring food security for the population. She considers land pollution with heavy metals, sodification, and salinization to be the most serious problems. The IUSS initiative was supported by the European Society for Soil Conservation, the World Food Organization, the Eurasian Center for Food Security, and many educational and scientific institutions. On World Soil Day, they call for the sustainable use of land resources and encourage scientists to develop new, environmentally friendly agricultural technologies. Each year the IUSS announces a new motto and selects the soil of the year. For example, in 2005 it was chernozem, and in 2015 it was false clay. On its website, the organization offers a variety of information materials in different languages: maps of saline soils for experts, colorful posters, videos, brochures, comics for children. Postcards and T-shirts with matching prints are available. Ordinary citizens, including school teachers, media representatives, museum workers, and artists, help disseminate important information. Educational events are carried out by environmental and conservation organizations, associations of landowners, and unions of agricultural and forestry workers. They organize photo exhibitions, scientific and practical conferences, and virtual meetings with soil scientists for people of all ages.