Restorative Mitigation of Contaminated Soil for Ecosystem Services: Influences from Research Enterprise and Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract. Soil is a vital component of the ecosystem, as it provides nutrients needed for the growth of plants and supports all terrestrial life on the planet. The global agricultural sector underwent enormous change after the World Wars, thanks to some important developments in technology transfer that saw increased crop production during the Green Revolution of the 1960s; the initiatives included the use of high yielding variety seeds and also the application of synthetic agrochemicals as nutrient inputs and crop protection agents. This was meant secure food grains for growing human population. Despite all the achievements, the initiatives taken during the Green Revolution are meeting with some harsh criticism now. Soil is under constant pressure due to irresponsible land use and resource exploitation, erosion, escalating climate change, and also the indiscriminate usage of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Synthetic pesticides are contaminating soil, and the contaminants are making serious alterations to the content and most importantly to the chemical quality, properties and functions of soil, requiring an immediate risk assessment owing to the hazard and scientific uncertainty surrounding it. Soil pollution is one of the most serious concerns of our time, which not only limits the sustainability of community livelihood but also compromises ecosystem services, causing depletion in its fertility and risks to the environmental and human health. So, the environmentalists, economists, and social scientists have begun advocating more organic amendments to farming and restoration of ecosystems services of soil. Researchers explore physico-chemical and biological methods to mitigate the soil contamination. Research enterprise, local policy making, and globalized discourses on environment at the highest decision-making authority of intergovernmental organizations are being directed towards sustainable future of socio-ecological system.