Soil is a natural heritage of ecosystem values, functions and services, as well as water and air. However, millions of tonnes of land are eroded and landed each year in the Basque Country. It took hundreds or thousands of years for this soil to be created, but we could easily lose that living envelope. On the one hand, urbanization or elimination under cement or asphalt (around 10% of the territory) and, on the other hand, erosion. In fact, the areas of strong slope are left naked in the forest cycle, without vegetation; on the other hand, the barriers of the valleys, sketches and other protective elements fade away, giving way to the wind. Finally, because the trees of rivers and streams are thinned, they say “tail forest”, when it has not disappeared under the most unfavorable conditions.

Soil is an unforgettable pillar of the heritage of geodiversity. On the other hand, it must be claimed as a living covering of the biosphere. It is an excellent habitat for biodiversity and life, an essential soil layer of terrestrial ecosystems. In addition, soil is a major carbon deposit. The future that inspires as support or productive base in the short term is short.

The tree needs soil, the fish needs water. But in our mountainous and abrupt landscape we see the bare collates, removing all the vegetation, hitting the ground in living, landless meat, and the stains of the slopes everywhere. Heavy rains are more frequent in climate change; in the next scenario, extreme weather will provoke and drive stronger water ramps in the mountains and basins.

When you look at the Ibaizabal River through the Arenal Bridge of Bilbao, after the storm, you see a forest wash without water. The feet of the forest have eroded and cross the basin to dye the brown Cantabrian Sea. This brown pen also you will see it on the coast of Urdaibai, as after hugging the island of Izaro it extends along the pair of Ogoño until it spreads through the Gipuzkoan waters. Large sedimentary feathers are produced in the mouth of the Urumea, Oria and Aturri. Thus, the “soil” of the basins is produced and observed in all the rivers and estuaries of the Basque Country.

The Basque City is a beautiful metaphor, but the vision or goal must not be to turn the whole territory into a city. On the contrary, the city must contemplate the territory and protect and promote its natural ecosystems and rural landscapes: forests, launching, countryside, rivers and living wetlands. The territory and its ecosystems will bring multiple values and services, but this requires strong protection of the soil.

Xabier Arana Eiguren, Bachelor of Life Sciences