Bangor University has announced that it will play a part in training the soil scientists of the future, after two of the UK's research councils unveiled millions of pounds'-worth of funding for soil science this week.

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Funding has been awarded to the Soils Training and Research Studentships (STARS) consortium, which is led by Lancaster University. The Universities of Cranfield and Nottingham, the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Rothamsted Research, the British Geological Survey and the James Hutton Institute are also part of the consortium.

Bangor said the research will be "Key to tackling many of today’s global challenges, including food, water and energy security."

The BBSRC and NERC councils unveiled £2.3m funding for soil research under the programme on Monday. The aim is to provide much needed support for soils, which are worryingly degraded and lacking legal protection, by training highly-skilled soil scientists who understand the soil ecosystem from both environmental and biological viewpoints.

In May, the EU Commission withdrew draft proposals for a Soils Framework, to protect the invaluable natural resource, and classify soils as 'non-renewable'. The proposals had been stalled at the draft stage for several years by a blocking minority of member state governments, including that of the UK.  

Last year, the EU's in-house science service, the Joint Research Centre, revealed that soil degradation tends to be a larger problem in those states that have resisted introducing binding measures to protect soils. The JRC research showed that soil biodiversity is under threat in 56 percent of EU territory; researchers from the Centre warned that, "intense land exploitation [is] estimated as the main pressure on soil biodiversity," adding that, "Due the combined effect of high intensity agriculture, many invasive species and an increased risk of organic carbon loss, the potential pressures were found to be particularly high in the UK and central Europe."

The funding will cover between eight and 11 studentships for three years, meaning experts can be trained up to provide sustainable solutions for the agriculture industry.

Professor Davey Jones, who leads Bangor University's School of Natural Resources, Environment and Geography and will work on the STARS project said, "Soil could be considered the essential life-blood of the planet, it sustains our food production and our forests, contributing to cleaning our atmosphere.

Jones added that there is a pressing need for a new generation of scientists with up-to-date skills and an understanding of the soil system and its place in the wider environment. Bangor promises that the training programme will provide a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to address this, giving researchers a wide breadth of skills and knowledge.

Prof Jones added, "The UK government has identified the need for more soil scientists, and we’re delighted that Wales is contributing to that important work."

Professor Phil Haygarth, who leads the STARS consortium, also commented, "Our vision is to create a unique national training experience for the next generation of soil scientists. The new centre presents great potential for the future of soil science in the UK, as it is a truly interdisciplinary subject. It’s really exciting to bring the top academic organisations and research institutes from across the country together under one virtual roof for the first time.  This will make a difference."

Amendment 17/ 10/ 2014, 12:24 - STARS consortium is led by Lancaster University. Comments by STARS' Prof Haygarth added.