Assessment of Soil Sustainability Using the LUCAS Database in the Southwest Region of Romania

Abstract

To ensure soil sustainability, the European Union considers the mitigation of the ecological, social and economic impacts and the prevention of soil degradation, which is the primary source of the ecosystem. In this respect, Land Use and Coverage Area Frame Survey (LUCAS) studies aim to investigate land use at the community level to gather information necessary for the analysis of the interactions between agriculture, environment and rural landscape and to provide estimates of agricultural areas with main crops. According to data from Eurostat, between May and October 2022, through the use of digital techniques, the levels of land coverage and land use, pastures, as well as irrigation management and structural elements in the landscape, were examined on the ground throughout the European Union. Data on the agricultural environment and soil were collected in the georeferenced points belonging to a representative sample by observing and completing the field form. At the level of the southwest region of Romania, the study was based on the inspection of 274 points by taking soil samples to analyze the quality indicators and identify key species of flowering plants. Data on land coverage and use can be used for a variety of environmental and socioeconomic projects in different fields.