Study of soil quality in the protected areas, a basic tool for establishing updated geochemical thresholds in Romania

Soil or edaphic layer is a natural resource with a particular importance. It was formed from the rocks under the manifestation of several categories of factors, called pedogenetic factors: climatic factors, microorganisms, vegetation, and relief. Time is also a very important measure because the soil is slowly forming in periods of
hundreds to thousands of years. The protected areas in Romania are those able to ensure the study of this natural layer, called the “pedosphere”, in conditions as close to its genesis, as it is considered that the anthropic impact in these areas is minimal or greatly diminished. Therefore, a detailed look at several protected areas in Romania, within five case studies chosen for the specific and the natural diversity that it preserves, offers remarkable opportunities for the study of soil quality, in order to establish a range of variation in time of the quality indicators.