Information on soil based on the soil dependency of the FOEN red list species

Frey B., Maurer C., Schneider K. (2023) Informationen zum Boden anhand der Gebundenheit der Rote-Liste Arten BAFU. Bundesamt für Umwelt BAFU. 26 p. Please cite this paper together with the citation for the datafile.

Soil is the habitat and basis of life for countless creatures. The great importance of soil organisms for the fertility of our soils is widely recognized, but information is sparse on their distribution and possible endangerment in Switzerland. In the present project, target species, i.e. species that are closely linked to the soil, were identified, and for the the first time, information was gathered on the degree of endangerment of the soil ecosystem in Switzerland on the basis of Red List species.

For eleven Red List groups, the species' soil dependency was determined, i.e. whether their life cycle includes stages in or on the soil. The assessment of soil dependency was made using four classes, which enabled the classification not only of insects but also of vertebrates, land snails, lichens and fungi.