Evaluation of soil natural capital in two soilscapes

摘要

A stock adequacy method is presented for evaluating the soil natural capital in two contrasting soilscapes. The approach is to estimate the adequacy of soil natural capital stocks to support the soil services required by a specified land use. A stockadequacy index is defined to identify whether soil services are limited by soil natural capital stocks or have a stock surplus. Limiting values are derived from a stock quality-quantity curve determined from land evaluation or soil quality literature, orby modelling. The method is applied to eroded soils in a hill country soilscape, and a coastal sands soilscape. The derived stock adequacy index results expressed the principal variations in quality of the soil resources that serve land management in the two locations. The index is capable of being integrated into land resource assessments and provides a basis for economic valuation of soil natural capital.