Floor

• More living creatures live in a handful of fertile soil than there are people on our planet.
• Around 60 percent of all animal and plant species on earth are found in the soil.
• More carbon is bound in the soil than in the global vegetation and atmosphere combined.
• Soil organisms are one of the most important sources for our health.

Creatures that live in the soil are also known as "edaphones". These include tiny bacteria, fungi and microorganisms as well as insects, worms, spiders and even small mammals such as moles. One square meter of fertile soil contains up to a quadrillion bacteria (that's a one with 15 zeros!) in the uppermost soil layers alone. If all these were lined up in a row, they could reach around the earth 25 times. This "biodiversity" is crucial to ensuring that our soil remains fertile - and thus forms the basis of life for us humans and our environment.

• Filter and protection for drinking water:
  When rainwater seeps into the ground, it is cleaned in several layers as if by a natural filter system. In this way, the soil makes a significant contribution to the quality of our groundwater and drinking water.
• Water storage:
  Soils absorb rain, store it and gradually release the water again. This provides plants with water even during dry periods. At the same time, healthy soil reduces the risk of flooding because it acts like a natural sponge.
• Nutrient reservoir:
  Soils contain important minerals and trace elements. They release these to the plants - exactly when they are needed.
• Carbon storage:
  Soils are the most important terrestrial carbon store. Humus plays a central role in the storage of carbon. It itself consists largely of organic carbon and is created through the decomposition of organic material by soil organisms. This reduces the burden on the atmosphere and makes a significant contribution to climate protection.
• Cooling function:
  Overgrown soil acts like a natural air conditioning system: it cools through evaporation and heats up less than asphalt or concrete. This is why it is noticeably more pleasant in parks or forests on hot summer days.
• Biological treasure trove:
  We owe many of the active ingredients used in medicine today to soil organisms. For example, around 70% of all clinically used antibiotics come directly or indirectly from soil microbes.

Only healthy and intact soils can provide all these services in the long term. But soils are under pressure: they are losing their fertility, biodiversity and storage capacity due to over-fertilization, pollutants, intensive use, erosion, sealing, environmental contamination/contaminated sites and extreme weather events. Compaction and concrete surfaces considerably weaken their natural functions.