The Red Book of the soils of Georgia

For Georgia, as a small area country, it is very important to popularise and protect soils resources, that will be facilitated by creation of the Red Book. The main arguments for creation the book are: Attracting society's attention to the importance of soil cover; Raising educational/awareness and informational levels regarding soils; Identification of threats and the main reasons for soil degradation and Recommendation for creation legislative base for protection of the soils. Resulting from soil diversity, Georgia is considered a natural open-air museum. Soils from Georgian phedosphere were divided into three groups: Standard, Rare and Memorial. The basis for The Red Book of the Soils of Georgia is Red List of the soils of Georgia.

Memorial group of the soils is represented by three types of soils: Cinnamonic, Meadow cinnamonic and Yellow brown forest. All three types have special historical meaning. They were first described in Georgia and separated as independent types, only after that they acquired international recognition. Rare soil group comprises: Rendzino-red - "Terra Rossa", Moutanin-meadow humus-illuvial, Black brown forest soils and Andosols. Soils from Rare e.g. raritet gorup occupy small area, have limited occurrence, original profile and scientific and practical values. In the Standard group are included soils, that are characterised by more or less complete relevant natural features of the biggest taxonomic units of a classification system - type. In this group are: Red, Yellow, Bog, Yellow podzolic, Yellow-gley podzolic, Brown forest, Raw carbonate, Grey cinnamonic, Meadow grey cinnamonic, Black, Chernozem, Mountain-forest-meadow, Mountain meadow, Mountain-meadow chernozem like, Saline and Alluvial soils.

Threat of degradation can affect all three groups from the book, including natural and cultivated soils. They are affected by degradation from technogenic, agrogenic and natural causes. The main degradation threats for Georgian soils are: erosion, pollution and infrastructural developments (roads, chanels, etc.).

Creation of The Red Book of the Soils of Georgia is crucial: 1. For understanding soil diversity and importance; 2. Facilitation of preservation of natural soil diversity and for that it is important to protect soils and take care of them (for prevention it is important to include all soil types in the book). The materials from Red Book of the Soils of Georgia and The Red List of the Soils of Georgia can be basis of improvement and/or creation of leglislation document, that will guarantee legal protection of the soils from destruction.