Dr. Diana Wall

Diana H. Wall is a University Distinguished Professor and Director, School of Global Environmental Sustainability at Colorado State University. She is also a Professor of Biology and Senior Scientist at the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory at CSU. Diana is actively engaged in research to explore how soil biodiversity contributes to healthy, productive soils and thus benefits society, and the consequences of human activities on soil sustainability. Her global research includes more than twenty years of research in the Antarctic Dry Valleys examining how climate change affects soil biodiversity, ecosystem processes and ecosystem services. Wall Valley, Antarctica was named for her achievements in 2005.

Abstract: Our dependence on soil biodiversity for maintaining soil resources and plant production is largely ignored in global and regional policies on land management, food security, climate change and loss of biodiversity. Research has accelerated on the diversity of roles played by communities of microbes and animals and shows that soil biodiversity is key for sustaining earth’s capacity to provide critical ecosystem services. Society is dependent on soil biodiversity for decomposition, cleansing of air and water, prevention of erosion, regulation of nutrient cycling, production of food, production of feed and fiber, and control of pests and pathogens. Because soils are under threat from human activities such as desertification and pollution that can have long term effects, we must promote interactions between scientists, policy makers, and all end-users in order to transfer and implement findings on the benefits of soil biodiversity and ways to conserve and sustainably manage it. The Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative encourages the translation of expert scientific knowledge into actionable science for sustainable land management and aims to provide options to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.