Bulletin of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) | June 2015
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IUSS Bulletin Bulletin of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) | June 2015 126 112 International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) The IUSS Bulletin is the official Newsletter of the International Union of Soil Sciences. It is freely distributed through the IUSS website. All contributions are welcome and should be sent to [email protected]. The IUSS is on LinkedIn and Facebook. Secretary: Sigbert Huber Secretariat of International Union of Soil Sciences T: +43-(0)1-313 04/3670 M: +43-(0) 664 80013 3670 F: +43-(0)1-313 04/3533 [email protected] Spittelauer Lände 5 1090 Wien Austria http://www.iuss.org/ Secretary Sigbert Huber [email protected] President Rainer Horn [email protected] President-elect Rattan Lal [email protected] Past President Jae Yang [email protected] Vice President Congress Flavio Camargo [email protected] Treasurer Andreas Baumgarten [email protected] Division 1 Erika Micheli [email protected] Division 2 Kazuyuki Inubushi [email protected] Division 3 Takashi Kosaki [email protected] Division 4 Christian Feller [email protected] Budgets & Finance Stephen Nortcliff [email protected] Awards Mary-Beth Kirkham [email protected] Statutes & Byelaws Don Sparks [email protected] Presidential elections Roger Swift [email protected] ISSN 0374-0447 Copyright IUSS, Vienna, Austria Graphic Design: Daniël Loos, www.bureaucontrapunt.nl 2 IUSS BULLETIN 126 Contents IUSS reports ............................................................................................................................................4 Report from the IUSS Secretariat ..................................................................................................... 4 Report of Division 2: ‘Soil properties and processes’ ........................................................................ 6 Report of Division 4: ‘The Role of Soils in Sustaining Society and the Environment’ .......................... 8 Report of Working Group on Digital Soil Mapping ............................................................................ 8 International Cooperation ................................................................................................................ 9 2015 International Year of Soils ............................................................................................................11 IUSS Statement for the Celebrationof the UN World Soil Day .......................................................... 11 Activities of IUSS Divisions and Commissions for IYS ....................................................................... 13 Activities of IUSS Working Groups for IYS ....................................................................................... 15 Activities of National Soil Science Societies for IYS ......................................................................... 18 IYS Conference and Meeting reports .............................................................................................. 25 IYS in international media .............................................................................................................. 36 Other IYS activities ........................................................................................................................ 37 90 Years of Soil Classification of the IUSS ..............................................................................................38 IUSS Alerts ............................................................................................................................................46 December 2014 – May 2015........................................................................................................... 46 Upcoming Conferences and Meetings ............................................................................................ 50 Five Questions to a Soil Scientist ...........................................................................................................54 Five questions to Dr. Dorin Tarau.................................................................................................... 54 Five questions to Lin Yang .............................................................................................................. 54 Five questions to Rosa M. Poch ...................................................................................................... 55 Five questions to Augusto Zanella .................................................................................................. 56 Five questions to Tsuyoshi Miyazaki ............................................................................................... 58 New Publications...................................................................................................................................59 In memoriam .........................................................................................................................................65 P.H.T. Beckett (1928-2014) ............................................................................................................. 65 Gerard (Jerry) Hendrik Bolt (1925-2015) ........................................................................................ 68 Otto Spaargaren (1944-2015) ........................................................................................................ 71 IUSS Honorary Members ........................................................................................................................72 IUSS Award Winners ..............................................................................................................................73 juNE 2015 3 IUSS reports Report from the IUSS Secretariat lia to a server in Austria, but the internet domain remained the same. With this transition the IUSS New IUSS Secretariat established Secretariat took the opportunity to set up a new In January 2015 the IUSS established the new Sec- website with a modern content management sys- retariat which is located in Vienna, Austria, in or- tem and design. The contents from the current der to guarantee a high level of continuity and co- IUSS website were transferred to the extent pos- herence in supporting the activities of the IUSS. sible to the new website, albeit partly rearranged. Under the umbrella association BIOS Science Aus- tria (Association for the Advancement of Life Sci- IUSS Stimulus Fund ences, www.bios-science.at) the Umweltbunde- IUSS has established an annual Stimulus Fund prin- samt (Environment Agency Austria, www.umwelt- cipally to support activities within the Commission bundesamt.at/en/) provides the secretariat led by and Working Groups, but where appropriate will Sigbert Huber. Financial support comes from IUSS support activities to assist the development of Soil and, in Austria, from the Federal Ministry of Ag- Science in regions of the world where activities are riculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Man- limited through lack of resource. agement, the Federal Ministry of Science and Re- IUSS has set aside a sum of $12,500 annually to search and the University of Natural Resources and help fund these activities, but this funding may Life Sciences, Vienna, as well as from the Agency be increased if the quality of applications is par- for Health and Food Safety. ticularly high. The normal maximum award will be The Permanent Secretariat works closely with the $2,500, but larger awards may be considered. President who will be elected every two years. The initial application process requires a short Whereas the President, supported by the Presi- written proposal of no more than 500 words plus dent Elect and Past President, is responsible for a budget indicating how the funds awarded are to the scientific guidance of the IUSS and its bodies, be spent. There are three submission dates for ap- the Permanent Secretariat shall manage the activi- plications in 2015: 15 March, 15 June and 15 Sep- ties of the IUSS and support the organisers of the tember. Urgent applications may be considered next world congresses, in particular the Vice Presi- outside these times with the approval of the Presi- dent Congress, in their preparatory work. dent. Applications should be sent to iuss@umwelt- bundesamt.at Meeting of the IUSS Executive Committee The funds can be used for a wide range of acti- On January 16 the IUSS Executive Committee met in vities; the principal aim is the promotion of Soil Vienna to discuss the operational implementation Science. In 2015 activities might include events of the new structure of the IUSS, in particular the related to the International Year of Soils. Other tasks and actions the Secretariat, the Presidents, activities might include the support of meetings, the Treasurer, the Division chairs and the Stand- assistance with travel, website development, tra- ing Comittees will provide in the year 2015. Fur- vel matching funds and indeed any other soil ther topics on the agenda of this fruitful meeting science-related undertaking that stimulates work at the new IUSS headquarters were international of a Commission or Working Group. Where funds cooperations as well as the new IUSS website and for meetings or travel are requested, monies from publications. the IUSS Stimulus Fund shall normally be used to match funds raised locally. The relation between Relaunch of IUSS website IUSS money and local funds shall depend on the In January 2015 the new IUSS Secretariat and the local economic circumstances. new IUSS webmaster took