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UID:pretalx-soil-health-now-2026-3A7NZP@pretalx.earthmonitor.org
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Athens:20261207T140000
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DESCRIPTION:Green Earth Program – Earth Observation-Supported Soil Rehabi
 litation in Drylands using Biological Soil Crusts\n\nJessica Friedrichs\, 
 Ines Wagner\, Andreas Burr\, Pia Swatkowski\, Marvin Braun\, Olga Spang\, 
 Charis Benetatos\n\nBlue Horizon S.à.r.l.\, Betzdorf\, Luxembourg\n\nKeyw
 ords: Induced biological soil crusts\; soil health\; soil biodiversity\; c
 arbon sequestration\; dryland ecosystems\; Earth Observation\; AI\n\nThe 
 ‘Green Earth Program’ is an end-to-end Earth Observation and biotechno
 logy-driven framework. It is designed to combat dryland degradation and de
 sertification through the rehabilitation of soil functions and ecosystem r
 esilience. Built around five integrated stages - identify\, analyse\, prod
 uce\, treat and monitor - the programme aims to bring life back to soils i
 n arid and semi-arid environments.\n\nAt its core\, the approach leverages
  induced biological soil crusts as a foundational rehabilitation mechanism
  to improve soil fertility\, stabilise surfaces and initiate natural recov
 ery processes on the microorganism level. A locally produced\, GMO-free mi
 x of active microorganisms is cultivated in scalable\, energy- and cost-ef
 ficient raceway pond cultures. These raceway ponds are powered on-site by 
 renewable energy\, so that CO2 is captured from the atmosphere already dur
 ing cultivation. Once applied\, the biological soil crusts enhance nitroge
 n cycling and increase soil organic carbon through photosynthetic carbon f
 ixation. This key pioneer step starts over a biological succession and pro
 gressively re-establishes soil functions such as biodiversity\, carbon seq
 uestration\, erosion control and nutrient retention. It thereby reverses d
 egradation trajectories in drylands.\n\nEarth Observation and Artificial I
 ntelligence run through the whole framework\, guiding from initial assessm
 ent to long-term monitoring. They reveal where degradation is occurring by
  monitoring for example soil health parameters\, inform how and when treat
 ments are applied and track the recovery of treated areas over time as the
  biological soil crusts establish and grow.\n\nIn the longer term\, the fo
 rmation of stable biological soil crust systems is intended to create mass
 ive\, long-term CO2 sinks and form the basis for higher plant communities.
  Furthermore\, the Green Earth Program can also provide an ecological foun
 dation for future land-use systems. For example\, it can support drought-a
 ffected agroforestry and orchard systems (olive\, argan) from drought and 
 erosion\, through soil stabilisation and increased water retention. It can
  also protect dust-affected photovoltaic installations by stabilising surr
 ounding soils against wind erosion.\n\nBy combining bioprocess engineering
  with advanced monitoring\, the Green Earth Program offers a scalable path
 way for rehabilitating soils and dryland ecosystems\, through measurable s
 oil health improvements.
DTSTAMP:20260825T175951Z
LOCATION:Amphitheater III
SUMMARY:Green Earth Program – Earth Observation-Supported Soil Rehabilita
 tion in Drylands using Biological Soil Crusts - Jessica Friedrichs\, Andre
 as Burr
URL:https://pretalx.earthmonitor.org/soil-health-now-2026/talk/3A7NZP/
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