Perspectives of function-based soil evaluation in land-use planning in China

Purpose The complex and multi-functional body of soil is crucial for land use; therefore, soil evaluation should guide land-use planning. In regard to this, there is an urgent need for function-based soil evaluation, especially in highly developed and fast-growing countries. In China, there is no specified law which may protect soil comprehensively, and due to ignorance of certain soil functions, soil evaluation has not played a prominent role in land-use planning. In addition, soil evaluation must be brought into the practices of land-use planning in China to facilitate rational and sustainable land use. Materials and methods In this study, by analyzing the evidence of soil functions and the according algorithms for soil evaluation, the necessity and possibility of combining function-based soil evaluation and land-use planning are found. For this, existing application studies from China and Europe were used. Using the methods of TUSEC (Technique for Soil Evaluation and Categorization for Natural and Anthropogenic Soils), the results of function-based soil evaluation of Zhengzhou City are shown, and tentative suggestions for land-use planning are given. Through the summarization of the previous discussion and a case study of Zhengzhou City, the future possibilities and perspectives for soil evaluation in land-use planning in China are determined. Results and discussion At present, China's focus in soil evaluation is on agriculture; thus, a lack of attention toward ecological balances in the environment has been found. In order to satisfy the reasonable planning of different land uses, a function-based framework of soil evaluation is required. TUSEC was found to be a suitable model for the evaluation method of soil functions, which China could adopt in its land-use planning. Function-based soil evaluation is necessary to improve land-use database and mapping to guide overall land-use planning, to optimize local ecological adjustment, and to monitor ecological sensitive areas. Conclusions As the awareness of sustainable development grows, the role of soil evaluation in the procedure of land-use planning is becoming increasingly important in China. A function-based soil evaluation may be adapted to this necessity.