{"type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [{"id": "10.23986/afsci.148486", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:20:20Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2025-05-26", "title": "Defining critical SOC/clay thresholds for soil health in boreal croplands using satellite-based NDVI proxies for productivity and resilience", "description": "

The European Union\u2019s soil strategy underscores the necessity for establishing feasible criteria to assess the soil health condition. In this study, we developed a method to define a critical threshold value for SOC/clay ratio on the basis of crop productivity and resilience. The study integrated data from national soil monitoring (NSM) of Finnish cropland soils (n=505) with satellite-based normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) obtained from the EcoDataCube (EDC) portal. The study area was confined to the boreal environmental zone to ensure consistent pedo-climatic conditions. The results show that the interannual variation in crop productivity increases rapidly below SOC/clay ratio of 0.09 (95% confidence intervals ranging from 0.07 to 0.16), whereas the corresponding threshold for mean productivity was 0.13 (0.09\u20130.16). The observed threshold values were found applicable for both cereals and temporary ley. The SOC/clay ratio of 1:13 (=0.08), regarded as a criterion for healthy soil in the current Soil Monitoring Law proposal, based on studies by Johannes et al. (2017) and Prout et al. (2021), is lower than the mean thresholds estimated in this study but aligns close to the lower bound of the 95% confidence intervals. In this research, Finnish agricultural land served as the case study area, but the method is easily applicable to various pedo-climatic regions and potentially to different land use types.

", "keywords": ["S", "Soil Monitoring Law", " SOC/clay ratio", " cropland", " NDVI", " satellite data", " national soil monitoring", "Agriculture (General)", "Agriculture", "S1-972"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Heikkinen, Jaakko, Keskinen, Riikka, Ylivainio, Kari,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.23986/afsci.148486"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Agricultural%20and%20Food%20Science", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.23986/afsci.148486", "name": "item", "description": "10.23986/afsci.148486", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.23986/afsci.148486"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2025-05-26T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5281/zenodo.14845588", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:22:24Z", "type": "Dataset", "title": "Data from: Comparison and evaluation of sampling and eDNA metabarcoding protocols to assess soil biodiversity in Belgian LUCAS Biopoints", "description": "Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is emerging as a novel tool for monitoring soil biodiversity. Soil biodiversity, critical for soil health and ecosystem services, is currently under-monitored due to the lack of standardized and efficient methods. We assessed whether refinements to sampling and molecular protocols could improve soil biodiversity detection and monitoring.\u00a0Comparing the 2018 LUCAS soil biodiversity protocols with newly developed national methods, we tested sampling topsoil (0-10 cm) versus deeper layers, larger soil sample sizes for DNA-extraction, taking more subsamples for composite soil samples, and alternative primer sets across 9 Belgian Biopoints included in the LUCAS 2022 survey. The results suggest that significantly more species can be detected in upper soil layers, including the forest floor, while the diversity of taxa and eDNA in the 10\u201330 cm soil layer is insufficient for annelids and arthropods to serve as indicators of ecological change. Additionally, comparison of the universal eukaryotic primers (18S) with primer sets tailored to soil mesofauna and macrofauna, showed that universal 18S primers provide limited resolution for Collembola and Annelida. Overall, the analyses suggest that vertical soil stratification (with two sampling depths) has a greater influence on the captured diversity of soil mesofauna and macrofauna than the number of subsamples, and that the highest diversity is recovered when surface sampling (0\u201310 cm topsoil and forest floor) is combined with a greater number of subsamples and a larger sampled area. With refinement and standardization, eDNA metabarcoding, combined with optimized sampling protocols, could become a powerful and efficient tool for monitoring soil biodiversity in European soils. Description of the files This dataset includes interactive Krona taxonomy charts to visually summarize the diversity and relative read abundance of detected taxa across sampling locations and protocols. Each ring in the chart represents a taxonomic level, with the relative width of segments reflecting the proportion of reads assigned to specific taxa at that level. These charts enable exploration of taxonomic composition and allow for comparisons between the different sampled locations, sampling protocols tested, and primer sets tested. All krona charts were made in R using psadd::plot_krona. To correct for uneven sequencing depth per sample, datasets were rarefied using a random subsampling method to 27913, 31655, 1856, 19728, and 19632 reads for Annelida (Olig01), Collembola (Coll01), Fungi (ITS9mun/ITS4ngsUni), protists (18S), and Archaea (SSU1ArF/SSU1000ArR) respectively. Fauna datasets that are subsets of the total data recovered by a primer set designed to target many different phyla (e.g. 18S) were not rarefied prior to generating the krona plots. ejp_soil_annelida_olig01_27913.html contains the interactive taxonomy charts for Annelida. The data was generated using the group-specific Olig01 primer set and rarefied to 27,913 reads per sample. ejp_soil_collembola_coll01_31655.html contains the interactive taxonomy charts for Collembola. The data was generated using the group-specific Coll01 primer set and rarefied to 31,655 reads per sample. ejp_soil_arthropoda_inse01.html contains the interactive taxonomy charts for Arthropoda (Insecta, Arachnida, Chilopoda, Diplura, and Malacostraca). The data was generated using the Inse01 primer set. ejp_soil_fungi_its9mun_its4ngsuni_1856.html contains the interactive taxonomy charts for Fungi. The data was generated using the ITS9mun and ITS4ngsUni primer set and rarefied to 1,856 reads per sample. ejp_soil_protists_18s_19728.html contains the interactive taxonomy charts for protists. The data was generated using the eukaryotic 18S primer set and rarefied to 19,728 reads per sample. ejp_soil_archaea_ssu1arf_ssu1000arr_19632.html contains the interactive taxonomy charts for Archaea. The data was generated using the SSU1ArF and SSU1000ArR primer set and rarefied to 19,632 reads per sample. ejp_soil_annelida_18s.html contains the interactive taxonomy charts for Annelida. The data was generated using the eukaryotic 18S primer set. ejp_soil_collembola_18s.html contains the interactive taxonomy charts for Collembola. The data was generated using the eukaryotic 18S primer set. ejp_soil_arthropoda_18s.html contains the interactive taxonomy charts for Arthropoda. The data was generated using the eukaryotic 18S primer set. ejp_soil_metadata.csv contains metadata for the samples in this study. It includes information about the sampling locations, the sampling protocols used, the sampling depth (cm), land use type, EUNIS habitat classification, and the LUCAS-ID for each sample.", "keywords": ["soil monitoring", "metabarcoding", "LUCAS", "soil biodiversity", "eDNA"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Lambrechts, Sam, Deflem, Io Sarah, Sensalari, Cecilia, De Backer, Silke, De Beer, Berdien, Neyrinck, Sabrina, De Vos, Bruno,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14845588"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5281/zenodo.14845588", "name": "item", "description": "10.5281/zenodo.14845588", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5281/zenodo.14845588"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2025-02-10T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.geoderma.2024.117027", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:16:20Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2024-09-14", "title": "Comparing LUCAS Soil and national systems: Towards a harmonized European Soil monitoring network", "description": "Open AccessPeer reviewed", "keywords": ["Europe", "Science", "Soil health", "Q", "Soil monitoring", "Soil monitoring ; Soil health ; Policies ; Europe ; LUCAS Soil", "[SDV.SA.SDS]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Agricultural sciences/Soil study", "[SDV.SA.SDS] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Agricultural sciences/Soil study", "Policies", "630", "LUCAS Soil"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2024.117027"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Geoderma", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.geoderma.2024.117027", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.geoderma.2024.117027", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.geoderma.2024.117027"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2024-09-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.geoderma.2024.116862", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:16:19Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2024-03-27", "title": "Is the organic carbon-to-clay ratio a reliable indicator of soil health?", "description": "Climate action plans under the Paris Climate Agreement and other national commitments aimed at improving soil-based ecosystem services require the operational monitoring of soil carbon (C). The European Union is aiming to enhance soil health, and as part of the proposed Soil Monitoring Law, the European Commission recommends the monitoring of the soil C loss indicator among other soil health indicators. In this study, we evaluate the feasibility of the proposed soil C loss indicator by assessing its performance using the EU-wide 2009 LUCAS soil survey data. The proposed indicator is the soil organic carbon (SOC) to clay ratio, with a threshold value of 1:13. The results are also compared with the C stock changes reported by countries to the climate convention (UNFCCC). Our results reveal that the variation in SOC and clay content at European scale exceeds that of the data used to develop the proposed indicator. We also found that the variation in the SOC content was influenced not only by clay content but also by climate and land-use reflecting C input levels. Therefore, the defined threshold is inadequate for detecting degraded soils if the SOC and clay content are beyond the conditions used to establish the criteria. Furthermore, major discrepancies were observed between the soil carbon stock changes reported by the national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories and the proportions of degraded soils identified by using the soil C loss indicator. We conclude that employing a single indicator such as SOC:Clay ratio with one threshold value for all soils across various land covers, management practices, and climatic conditions, as defined by the European Commission for the Soil Monitoring Law, is inappropriate for monitoring soil C loss.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "agricultural soil", "550", "Forest soil", " agricultural soil", "Science", "Q", "Soil organic carbon (SOC)", "Soil monitoring", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "SOC:Clay ratio", "15. Life on land", "forest soil", "01 natural sciences", "630", "6. Clean water", "12. Responsible consumption", "soil organic carbon", "13. Climate action", "soil monitoring", "LUCAS soil survey", "11. Sustainability", "soc:clay ratio", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "European mineral soils", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2024.116862"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Geoderma", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.geoderma.2024.116862", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.geoderma.2024.116862", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.geoderma.2024.116862"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121882", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:16:27Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2024-07-17", "title": "A systematic benchmarking framework for future assessments of soil health: An example from Denmark", "description": "Based on current evidence and established critical thresholds for soil degradation indicators, it is concerning that over 60-70% of European soils are unhealthy due to unsustainable management and the impact of climate change. Despite European and national efforts to improve soil health, significant gaps remain. The proposal for a Soil Monitoring and Resilience Law, to be implemented by the European Union, seeks to establish a framework for soil monitoring and promote sustainable management practices to achieve healthy soils by 2050. This requires extensive data collection and soil monitoring systems to accurately estimate soil health across Europe, considering the diversity of soil types, climates, and land uses. To establish a framework for soil monitoring, we must understand the site-specific status of soil and the ranges of soil health indicators across specific pedoclimatic regions. In our study, we evaluated the soil status in agricultural areas in Denmark using soil health indicators and a site-specific benchmarking approach. We compiled nationally representative datasets, combining point and model-informed data of soil parameters such as organic carbon content, bulk density, pH, electrical conductivity, clay-to-soil organiccarbon ratio, water erosion, and nitrogen leaching. By categorizing Danish agricultural soils into monitoring units based on textural classes, landscape elements, and wetland types, we calculated benchmarks for these indicators, considering different cropping systems. Our approach provided detailed point-based results and a spatially explicit overview of the status of soil health indicators in Denmark. We identified areas where soil deviates from the benchmarks of different indicators. Such deviations might indicate soil functions operating outside the normal range, posing potential threats to soil health. This proposed framework could support the establishment of a baseline for assessing the directionality of future changes in soil health. Moreover, it is adaptable for implementation by other countries to support assessments of soil health.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "Conservation of Natural Resources", "European soil monitoring and resilience law", "Soil monitoring units", "Denmark", "Climate Change", "Agriculture", "15. Life on land", "6. Clean water", "12. Responsible consumption", "Soil districts", "Soil", "13. Climate action", "11. Sustainability", "Soil health indicators", "Environmental Monitoring"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121882"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Journal%20of%20Environmental%20Management", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121882", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121882", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121882"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2024-08-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175642", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:16:42Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2024-08-18", "title": "Benchmarking soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration provides more robust soil health assessment than the SOC/clay ratio at European scale", "description": "Increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) confers benefits to soil health, biodiversity, underpins carbon sequestration and ameliorates land degradation. One recommendation is to increase SOC such that the SOC to clay ratio (SOC/clay) exceeds 1/13, yet normalising SOC levels based on clay alone gives misleading indications of soil structure and the potential to store additional carbon. Building on work by Poeplau & Don (2023) to benchmark observed against predicted SOC, we advance an alternative indicator: the ratio between observed and 'typical' SOC (O/T SOC) for pan-European application. Here, 'typical' SOC is the average concentration in different pedo-climate zones, PCZs (which, unlike existing SOC indicators, incorporate land cover and climate, alongside soil texture) across Europe, determined from mineral (<20\u00a0% organic matter) topsoils (0-20\u00a0cm) sampled during 2009-2018 in LUCAS, Europe's largest soil monitoring scheme (n\u00a0=\u00a019,855). Regression tree modelling derived 12 PCZs, with typical SOC values ranging 5.99-39.65\u00a0g\u00a0kg-1. New index classes for comparison with SOC/clay grades were established from the quartiles of each PCZ's O/T SOC distribution; these were termed: 'Low' (below the 25th percentile), 'Intermediate' (between the 25th and 50th percentiles), 'High' (between the 50th and 75th percentiles), and 'Very high' (above the 75th percentile). Compared with SOC/clay, O/T SOC was less sensitive to clay content, land cover, and climate, less geographically skewed, and better reflected differences in soil porosity and SOC stock, supporting 2 EU Soil Health Mission objectives (consolidating SOC stocks; improving soil structure for crops and biota). These patterns held for 2 independent datasets, and O/T SOC grades were sensitive enough to reflect land management differences across several long-term field experiments. O/T SOC used in conjunction with several other physical, chemical and biological soil health indicators can help support the EU Soil Monitoring Law and achieve several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.", "keywords": ["soil monitoring", "pedo-climate zones", "clay", "soil carbon", "soil structure", "sustainable development goals"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175642"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Science%20of%20The%20Total%20Environment", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175642", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175642", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175642"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2024-11-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1088/1748-9326/aa9c5c", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:18:08Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2017-11-22", "title": "Gap assessment in current soil monitoring networks across Europe for measuring soil functions", "description": "Soil is the most important natural resource for life on Earth after water. Given its fundamental role in sustaining the human population, both the availability and quality of soil must be managed sustainably and protected. To ensure sustainable management we need to understand the intrinsic functional capacity of different soils across Europe and how it changes over time. Soil monitoring is needed to support evidence-based policies to incentivise sustainable soil management. To this aim, we assessed which soil attributes can be used as potential indicators of five soil functions; (1) primary production, (2) water purification and regulation, (3) carbon sequestration and climate regulation, (4) soil biodiversity and habitat provisioning and (5) recycling of nutrients. We compared this list of attributes to existing national (regional) and EU-wide soil monitoring networks. The overall picture highlighted a clearly unbalanced dataset, in which predominantly chemical soil parameters were included, and soil biological and physical attributes were severely under represented. Methods applied across countries for indicators also varied. At a European scale, the LUCAS-soil survey was evaluated and again confirmed a lack of important soil biological parameters, such as C mineralisation rate, microbial biomass and earthworm community, and soil physical measures such as bulk density. In summary, no current national or European monitoring system exists which has the capacity to quantify the five soil functions and therefore evaluate multi-functional capacity of a soil and in many countries no data exists at all. This paper calls for the addition of soil biological and some physical parameters within the LUCAS-soil survey at European scale and for further development of national soil monitoring schemes.", "keywords": ["[SDE] Environmental Sciences", "570", "[SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio]", "Science", "QC1-999", "soil functions;soil monitoring networks;soil attributes;Europe", "Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering", "630", "12. Responsible consumption", "GE1-350", "TD1-1066", "2. Zero hunger", "Physics", "Q", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "soil functions", "15. Life on land", "S590 Soill / Talajtan", "soil monitoring networks", "6. Clean water", "[SDV] Life Sciences [q-bio]", "Europe", "Environmental sciences", "soil attributes", "13. Climate action", "[SDE]Environmental Sciences", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-02622332/file/2017_Leeuwen_Environmental%20Research%20Letters_1.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa9c5c"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Environmental%20Research%20Letters", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1088/1748-9326/aa9c5c", "name": "item", "description": "10.1088/1748-9326/aa9c5c", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1088/1748-9326/aa9c5c"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2017-12-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/ejss.13466", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:18:27Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2024-02-26", "title": "A 1 billion euro mission: A Soil Deal for Europe", "description": "Abstract

Soils have achieved prominence in the political agenda of the European Commission with the proposal for a Soil Monitoring Law and the ambitious Soil Mission research framework. The EU Soil Observatory (EUSO) used the latest state\uffe2\uff80\uff90of\uffe2\uff80\uff90the\uffe2\uff80\uff90art pan\uffe2\uff80\uff90European datasets to propose a preliminary assessment of soil health in the EU based on 18 soil degradation proxy indicators. The body of knowledge will soon be enriched thanks to the investment of 1\uffe2\uff80\uff89billion euros towards the Mission \uffe2\uff80\uff98A Soil Deal for Europe\uffe2\uff80\uff99, which has the ambition to promote the development of new harmonized bottom\uffe2\uff80\uff90up and top\uffe2\uff80\uff90down soil health indicators. New data and knowledge are also anticipated through the national soil monitoring schemes to support the implementation of the Soil Monitoring Law. We present the Soil Mission roadmap towards assessing and achieving soil health in the EU by 2030 to meet Green Deal objectives. We introduce the EUSO Soil Health Dashboard, a soil degradation indicator tool using soil health indicators developed by the European Soil Data Centre (ESDAC) (2012\uffe2\uff80\uff932023) that will contribute to Soil Monitoring Law assessments.The European Union has a long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term objective to achieve healthy soils by 2050. The European Commission has proposed a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on Soil Monitoring and Resilience (Soil Monitoring Law, SML), the first stage of which is to focus on setting up a soil monitoring framework and assessing soils throughout the EU. Situated in NW Europe, the UK has substantial experience in soil monitoring over the last half century which may usefully contribute to this wider EU effort. A set of overarching principles have and continue to guide design of national soil monitoring and may prove helpful as other European countries embark on similar monitoring programmes. Therefore, we present the principles of design from five decades of national soil monitoring. The monitoring discussed is based on a stratified\uffe2\uff80\uff90random design, has matured in support of policy questions, and operates over space and time scales relevant to the SML. The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) Countryside Surveys (CS) of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,\uffc2\uffa0Welsh Government, Environment and Rural Affairs Monitoring and Modelling Programme (ERAMMP) and the England Ecosystem Survey (EES) monitoring programme are national programmes currently operating in the UK. Some important lessons learnt include: adopting a question\uffe2\uff80\uff90based approach; having a clear robust statistical design for the purpose; selecting indicators that address policy and underlying scientific questions; and selecting indicators that can detect change and use robust and well\uffe2\uff80\uff90tested methodologies across a wide range of soil and land use types, remaining valid over long time scales, supporting thinking long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term. Technical lessons learned include the proven cost effectiveness of a stratified\uffe2\uff80\uff90random design including replication, while adopting a common stratification layer of stable environmental attributes aids comparability between monitoring programmes. Common protocols are vital for future intercomparisons, but a full ecosystem approach that includes co\uffe2\uff80\uff90located soil and vegetation samples for interpreting a co\uffe2\uff80\uff90evolving system has proved hugely advantageous. UK monitoring programmes offer a range of experience that may prove valuable to future soil monitoring design to address the major societal challenges of our time, such as maintaining food production and addressing climate change and biodiversity loss.A Soil Monitoring Law to improve soil health across all land uses has been proposed by the European Commission. As forests soils have different chemical and physical properties as well as biogeochemical dynamics compared to agricultural land, they also face different challenges in maintaining and restoring soil health. Examples are soil acidification, eutrophication by atmospheric deposition, responses to climate change, and loss of biodiversity. Therefore, we propose forest soil specific health descriptors and thresholds based on experience and knowledge from existing long-term monitoring programs.

", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "ICP Forests", "soil health", "tresholds", "Forestry", "ICP forests", "Forest soil monitoring", "SD1-669.5", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "indicators", "630", "forest floor", "forest soil monitoring", "13. Climate action", "Soil health", "11. Sustainability", "Indicators", "Thresholds", "Forest floor", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s13595-024-01238-7.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1186/s13595-024-01238-7"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Annals%20of%20Forest%20Science", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1186/s13595-024-01238-7", "name": "item", "description": "10.1186/s13595-024-01238-7", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1186/s13595-024-01238-7"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2024-06-04T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.2139/ssrn.4681574", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:20:12Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2024-03-27", "title": "Is the organic carbon-to-clay ratio a reliable indicator of soil health?", "description": "Climate action plans under the Paris Climate Agreement and other national commitments aimed at improving soil-based ecosystem services require the operational monitoring of soil carbon (C). The European Union is aiming to enhance soil health, and as part of the proposed Soil Monitoring Law, the European Commission recommends the monitoring of the soil C loss indicator among other soil health indicators. In this study, we evaluate the feasibility of the proposed soil C loss indicator by assessing its performance using the EU-wide 2009 LUCAS soil survey data. The proposed indicator is the soil organic carbon (SOC) to clay ratio, with a threshold value of 1:13. The results are also compared with the C stock changes reported by countries to the climate convention (UNFCCC). Our results reveal that the variation in SOC and clay content at European scale exceeds that of the data used to develop the proposed indicator. We also found that the variation in the SOC content was influenced not only by clay content but also by climate and land-use reflecting C input levels. Therefore, the defined threshold is inadequate for detecting degraded soils if the SOC and clay content are beyond the conditions used to establish the criteria. Furthermore, major discrepancies were observed between the soil carbon stock changes reported by the national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories and the proportions of degraded soils identified by using the soil C loss indicator. We conclude that employing a single indicator such as SOC:Clay ratio with one threshold value for all soils across various land covers, management practices, and climatic conditions, as defined by the European Commission for the Soil Monitoring Law, is inappropriate for monitoring soil C loss.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "agricultural soil", "550", "Forest soil", " agricultural soil", "Science", "Q", "Soil organic carbon (SOC)", "Soil monitoring", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "SOC:Clay ratio", "15. Life on land", "forest soil", "01 natural sciences", "630", "6. Clean water", "12. Responsible consumption", "soil organic carbon", "13. Climate action", "soil monitoring", "LUCAS soil survey", "11. Sustainability", "soc:clay ratio", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "European mineral soils", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4681574"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Geoderma", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.2139/ssrn.4681574", "name": "item", "description": "10.2139/ssrn.4681574", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.2139/ssrn.4681574"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.3390/su17115042", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:20:53Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2025-06-02", "title": "Citizen Science for Soil Monitoring and Protection in Europe: Insights from the PREPSOIL Project Under the European Soil Mission", "description": "

Citizen science (CS) is increasingly recognized as a complementary approach for addressing soil health challenges\u2014including erosion, pollution, nutrient imbalances, and biodiversity loss\u2014by harnessing public participation to broaden spatial and temporal data collection. This review synthesizes findings from the following: (i) a systematic analysis of peer-reviewed literature and grey sources, (ii) a database of 96 CS initiatives compiled by the European PREPSOIL project, and (iii) questionnaire surveys and workshops conducted in five Living Labs across Europe. Our analysis indicates that volunteer-driven monitoring can enhance the volume and granularity of soil data, providing critical insights into parameters such as organic carbon content, nutrient levels, and pollutant concentrations. However, persistent challenges remain, including inconsistencies in data validation, volunteer attrition, and concerns regarding digital literacy and data privacy. Despite these challenges, ongoing efforts to standardize protocols, integrate remote sensing and sensor-based validation methods, and employ feedback mechanisms improve data reliability and participant engagement. We conclude that sustained capacity-building, transparent data governance, and stakeholder collaboration, from local communities to governmental bodies, are essential for fully realizing the potential of citizen science in soil conservation. This work is framed within the context of the European Soil Mission, and CS is demonstrated to meaningfully support sustainable land management and evidence-based policymaking by aligning public-generated observations with established scientific frameworks.

", "keywords": ["community stewardship", "remote sensing", "[SDV.EE] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology", " environment", "volunteer engagement", "soil health", "soil monitoring", "citizen science", "open data", "data validation", "policy integration", "biodiversity"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/11/5042/pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.3390/su17115042"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Sustainability", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.3390/su17115042", "name": "item", "description": "10.3390/su17115042", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.3390/su17115042"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2025-05-30T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.36253/bae-15466", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:20:57Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2024-10-16", "title": "Soils and ecosystem services: policy narratives and instruments for soil health in the EU", "description": "

European soils and their status is a matter of concern that has entered the policy arena and the objective to restore soil health is part of the Soil strategy to 2030. Aim of this study is to explore the integration of the concept of soil health and the provision of soil ecosystem service by conducting i) a content analysis of EU policies and ii) a scoping review of literature over policy instruments for soil governance. Results show a focus on soil fertility, mainly soil organic matter, while services such as conservation of biodiversity or cultural heritage still appear underrepresented. Findings are reinforced by the gap in literature, providing little evidence of policy instruments contributing to soil health. A more coordinated effort among policy sectors is required to prioritize soil health in the EU; invesitgating the role of market-based instruments could complement what public policies are lacking.

", "keywords": ["soil health", "policy instruments", "Soil Monitoring Law", "incentives", "soil health", " ecosystem services", " policy instruments", "incentives", " Soil Monitoring Law", "Aquaculture. Fisheries. Angling", "SH1-691", "Forestry", "SD1-669.5", "ecosystem services"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Greta Winkler, Luciano Pagano, Daniele Vergamini, Fabio Bartolini,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.36253/bae-15466"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Bio-based%20and%20Applied%20Economics", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.36253/bae-15466", "name": "item", "description": "10.36253/bae-15466", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.36253/bae-15466"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2024-09-10T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5281/zenodo.13236749", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:22:00Z", "type": "Dataset", "title": "Gridded spatial information on soil organic carbon content, density and stock in Hungary for 1992 and 2000", "description": "Predictive soil organic carbon (SOC) content, density, and stock maps, along with the associated prediction uncertainty, are provided for the years 1992 and 2000, for the entire territory of Hungary. The maps refer to the topsoils (0\u201330 cm) with a spatial resolution of 100\u2a2f100 m. The uncertainty associated with the SOC property maps is expressed by the lower and upper limits of the 90% prediction interval (PI), the range of values within which the true value is expected to occur 9 times out of 10. This means that there are two maps to each SOC property map, quantifying its prediction uncertainty. It should be added that all maps have been masked with open water bodies, as these areas are not relevant for soils. For more details / to cite this dataset please use: Szatm\u00e1ri, G., Laborczi, A., M\u00e9sz\u00e1ros, J., Tak\u00e1cs, K., Ben\u0151, A., Ko\u00f3s, S., Bakacsi, Z., & P\u00e1sztor, L. (2024). Gridded, temporally referenced spatial information on soil organic carbon for Hungary. Scientific Data 11, 1312. Custom code used for digital soil mapping and validation is available on GitHub: https://github.com/GaborSzatmari/HU-SOC-mapping Description of the files: The resulting maps are shared as GeoTIFF files. The coordinate reference system is the Hungarian Unified National Projection System (HD72/EOV; EPSG: 23700) (https://epsg.io/23700). The table below provides further information on the published maps. Note that the first file (00_Overview.jpg) gives an overview of the SOC property maps. SOC property maps Unit Year Filename SOC content map [g \u2219 kg-1] 1992 SOCc_0_30cm_1992_pred.tif SOC content, lower limit of the 90% PI [g \u2219 kg-1] 1992 SOCc_0_30cm_1992_q05.tif SOC content, upper limit of the 90% PI [g \u2219 kg-1] 1992 SOCc_0_30cm_1992_q95.tif SOC density map [kg \u2219 m-3] 1992 SOCd_0_30cm_1992_pred.tif SOC density, lower limit of the 90% PI [kg \u2219 m-3] 1992 SOCd_0_30cm_1992_q05.tif SOC density, upper limit of the 90% PI [kg \u2219 m-3] 1992 SOCd_0_30cm_1992_q95.tif SOC stock map [tons \u2219 ha-1] 1992 SOCs_0_30cm_1992_pred.tif SOC stock, lower limit of the 90% PI [tons \u2219 ha-1] 1992 SOCs_0_30cm_1992_q05.tif SOC stock, upper limit of the 90% PI [tons \u2219 ha-1] 1992 SOCs_0_30cm_1992_q95.tif SOC content map [g \u2219 kg-1] 2000 SOCc_0_30cm_2000_pred.tif SOC content, lower limit of the 90% PI [g \u2219 kg-1] 2000 SOCc_0_30cm_2000_q05.tif SOC content, upper limit of the 90% PI [g \u2219 kg-1] 2000 SOCc_0_30cm_2000_q95.tif SOC density map [kg \u2219 m-3] 2000 SOCd_0_30cm_2000_pred.tif SOC density, lower limit of the 90% PI [kg \u2219 m-3] 2000 SOCd_0_30cm_2000_q05.tif SOC density, upper limit of the 90% PI [kg \u2219 m-3] 2000 SOCd_0_30cm_2000_q95.tif SOC stock map [tons \u2219 ha-1] 2000 SOCs_0_30cm_2000_pred.tif SOC stock, lower limit of the 90% PI [tons \u2219 ha-1] 2000 SOCs_0_30cm_2000_q05.tif SOC stock, upper limit of the 90% PI [tons \u2219 ha-1] 2000 SOCs_0_30cm_2000_q95.tif", "keywords": ["Soil sciences", "Digital soil mapping", "Soil organic carbon", "Soil health", "Earth and related environmental sciences", "Soil monitoring", "FOS: Earth and related environmental sciences"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Szatm\u00e1ri, G\u00e1bor, Laborczi, Annam\u00e1ria, M\u00e9sz\u00e1ros, J\u00e1nos, Tak\u00e1cs, Katalin, Ben\u0151, Andr\u00e1s, Ko\u00f3s, S\u00e1ndor, Bakacsi, Zs\u00f3fia, P\u00e1sztor, L\u00e1szl\u00f3,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13236749"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5281/zenodo.13236749", "name": "item", "description": "10.5281/zenodo.13236749", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5281/zenodo.13236749"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2024-08-14T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5281/zenodo.13347950", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:22:02Z", "type": "Report", "title": "Analysis of knowledge base available to monitor soil indicators proposed under the Soil Mission", "description": "The PREPSOIL\u00a0Preparing for the 'Soil Deal for Europe Mission project facilitates the deployment of the Mission across European regions. This will be achieved through the co-creation and roll out of tools\u00a0and spaces for interaction, knowledge-sharing and co-learning, as well as\u00a0stocktaking and dialogue to understand how regional assessment of soil\u00a0needs, supported by harmonized monitoring mechanisms, can then lead to\u00a0action in living labs and lighthouses for soil health. One of the major Soil Mission components is development of a robust, harmonized soil monitoring framework, enabling assessment of policy effects and building information on soil health status trends. In order to develop such a monitoring framework, it is necessary to integrate current knowledge on existing monitoring programs and look for harmonization and improvement of the approaches applied across Europe. One of current gaps in soil monitoring is insufficient coverage of soils located in urban, forest or industrial areas.The overall objective of PREPSOIL task 5.1 is to contribute to consolidation of the Mission\u2019s soil monitoring framework by assessing how to extend the current and upcoming results from other projects dedicated to agricultural soils and existing soil monitoring initiatives to natural, forest, urban and industrial soils.The task methodology leading to collection of information on agricultural and non-agricultural soil monitoring involved two main phases: phase 1 - a review of selected (completed, ongoing, newly started) projects, supported by the European Commission, dedicated or linked to soil monitoring issues; phase 2 - an inventory of national experiences (national systems, initiatives) on soil monitoring with a special focus on non-agricultural areas. The results of these two phases constitute the basis for a broader discussion on future monitoring of non-agricultural soils. Such a discussion will be carried out in the third phase of the Task 5.1 activity.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "non-agricultural areas", "13. Climate action", "11. Sustainability", "Soil monitoring", "Healthy Soils", "15. Life on land", "Soil Mission", "PREPSOIL"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Klimkowicz-Pawlas, Agnieszka, Siebielec, Grzegorz, \u015awi\u0105tek, Karolina,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13347950"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5281/zenodo.13347950", "name": "item", "description": "10.5281/zenodo.13347950", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5281/zenodo.13347950"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2024-02-12T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5281/zenodo.14742044", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:22:22Z", "type": "Report", "title": "Challenges, strengths and weaknesses of different baseline options for monitoring soil carbon removals \u2013 insights from the MARVIC project", "description": "This abstract was accepted for an oral presentation at the Centennial Celebration and Congress of the International Union of Soil Sciences on May 19-21 2024 in Florence, Italy, and was included in the abstract book.", "keywords": ["Carbon removals", "soil monitoring", "carbon farming", "baseline"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Ruysschaert, Greet, Lorand, Lorette, Xu, Hui, Lanckriet, Edouard,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14742044"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5281/zenodo.14742044", "name": "item", "description": "10.5281/zenodo.14742044", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5281/zenodo.14742044"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2024-05-21T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5281/zenodo.16926945", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:22:51Z", "type": "Dataset", "title": "Adjusted bulk density data in the Hungarian Soil Information and Monitoring System", "description": "This dataset provides corrected bulk density (BD) values and their associated uncertainty estimates for 4,340 soil genetic horizons across 1,236 monitoring sites of the Hungarian Soil Information and Monitoring System. The correction was achieved by developing a pedotransfer function (PTF) based on the Hungarian Detailed Soil Hydro-physical Database (Hungarian acronym: MARTHA) and advanced machine learning algorithms. Soil properties (i.e., soil organic carbon, pH in water, and sand, silt, and clay content) together with environmental covariates, used as proxies for the soil forming factors, were integrated into the PTF development to improve predictive performance. Uncertainty of the BD predictions is provided in two forms: (1) the 90% prediction interval (defined by its lower and upper limits, within which the true value is expected to occur nine times out of ten), and (2) the standard error of the corrected BD values. To ensure transparency, reproducibility, and open access, the corrected BD values, their corresponding uncertainty estimates, and the developed code are publicly available. For more details / to cite this dataset please use: Sohrab, S., Szab\u00f3, B., P\u00e1sztor, L., Mak\u00f3, A., Szatm\u00e1ri, G. (2025). Adjusting bulk density observations in the Hungarian Soil Information and Monitoring System using advanced pedotransfer functions. European Journal of Soil Science (submitted manuscript) Codes are available on GitHub: https://github.com/Mehrsoh/Soil-BD-Correction Description of the files: Two versions of the same dataset are provided, differing only in file format: (1) 'HUN-SIMS_BD_corrected.csv' \u2013 CSV format (separated by semicolon), and (2) 'HUN-SIMS_BD_corrected.xlsx' \u2013 Microsoft Excel format. The table below summarizes the column names, units, and data formats, and also provides a description for each column. Note that the coordinate reference system is the Hungarian Unified National Projection System (HD72/EOV; EPSG: 23700). For more details, see https://epsg.io/23700. Column name Format Unit Description PROFILE_ID string - Identifier of monitoring sites in the Hungarian Soil Information and Monitoring System LAYER_ID string - Identifier of soil genetic horizons at a monitoring site X numeric [m] X coordinate Y numeric [m] Y coordinate TOP numeric [cm] Upper depth boundary of soil genetic horizons BOTTOM numeric [cm] Lower depth boundary of soil genetic horizons BD_CORRECTED numeric [g\u00b7cm-3] Bias-corrected bulk density value Q_05 numeric [g\u00b7cm-3] 5th quantile; lower limit of the 90% prediction interval Q_95 numeric [g\u00b7cm-3] 95th quantile; upper limit of the 90% prediction interval SE numeric [g\u00b7cm-3] Standard error of the bias-corrected bulk density value", "keywords": ["Soil sciences", "Soil health", "Earth and related environmental sciences", "Soil physics", "Soil monitoring", "FOS: Earth and related environmental sciences", "Pedotransfer function"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Sohrab, Seyedehmehrmanzar, Szab\u00f3, Brigitta, P\u00e1sztor, L\u00e1szl\u00f3, Mak\u00f3, Andr\u00e1s, Szatm\u00e1ri, G\u00e1bor,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16926945"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5281/zenodo.16926945", "name": "item", "description": "10.5281/zenodo.16926945", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5281/zenodo.16926945"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2025-09-04T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5281/zenodo.15730426", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:22:45Z", "type": "Report", "title": "PREPSOIL workshop report - Earth observation for soil health monitoring; obstacles and proposals in overcoming them", "description": "Description of a workshop on 'Earth observation for soil health monitoring; obstacles and \u00a0proposals in overcoming them' held on 7 November 2024. The report is an addition to PREPSOIL 5.2, which contains a review of scientific knowledge (bibliography, expert opinions, current EU projects), an inventory of the technological resources mobilised (vectors, sensors, current and planned products, services), and the identification of obstacles to greater use of Earth observations for soil monitoring and measurement needs to reduce/minimise these difficulties.", "keywords": ["Earth observation", "Soil", "soil health", "soil sensing", "soil monitoring"], "contacts": [{"organization": "van Egmond, Fenny", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15730426"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5281/zenodo.15730426", "name": "item", "description": "10.5281/zenodo.15730426", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5281/zenodo.15730426"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2025-06-25T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5281/zenodo.15796964", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:22:47Z", "type": "Report", "title": "Conclusion Report on Training Needs for Monitoring and Assessment of Soil Health with Curriculum for Pilot Course", "description": "This deliverable, produced under Task 5.4 of the PREPSOIL project, summarises the identification of training needs and the development of a pilot course to support soil health monitoring in line with the Soil Monitoring Law and the EU Mission Soil. The process was based on expert consultation and co-creation with key stakeholders, including public authorities, research institutions, and European projects working on soil health. The deliverable presents the resulting modular curriculum, the implementation of four pilot training sessions held in June 2025, and an evaluation of their relevance and effectiveness. This report provides a foundation for scaling up capacity-building efforts at the EU level.", "keywords": ["Soil Monitoring Law", "Training curriculum", "EU Mission Soil", "Soil health", "Capacity building", "Indicators", "Policy implementation", "PREPSOIL"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Pita-Romero Herrero, Jos\u00e9 Luis, Pablo, G\u00f3mez Grande,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15796964"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5281/zenodo.15796964", "name": "item", "description": "10.5281/zenodo.15796964", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5281/zenodo.15796964"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2025-07-03T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5281/zenodo.14845589", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:22:24Z", "type": "Dataset", "title": "Data from: Comparison and evaluation of sampling and eDNA metabarcoding protocols to assess soil biodiversity in Belgian LUCAS Biopoints", "description": "Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is emerging as a novel tool for monitoring soil biodiversity. Soil biodiversity, critical for soil health and ecosystem services, is currently under-monitored due to the lack of standardized and efficient methods. We assessed whether refinements to sampling and molecular protocols could improve soil biodiversity detection and monitoring.\u00a0Comparing the 2018 LUCAS soil biodiversity protocols with newly developed national methods, we tested sampling topsoil (0-10 cm) versus deeper layers, larger soil sample sizes for DNA-extraction, taking more subsamples for composite soil samples, and alternative primer sets across 9 Belgian Biopoints included in the LUCAS 2022 survey. The results suggest that significantly more species can be detected in upper soil layers, including the forest floor, while the diversity of taxa and eDNA in the 10\u201330 cm soil layer is insufficient for annelids and arthropods to serve as indicators of ecological change. Additionally, comparison of the universal eukaryotic primers (18S) with primer sets tailored to soil mesofauna and macrofauna, showed that universal 18S primers provide limited resolution for Collembola and Annelida. Overall, the analyses suggest that vertical soil stratification (with two sampling depths) has a greater influence on the captured diversity of soil mesofauna and macrofauna than the number of subsamples, and that the highest diversity is recovered when surface sampling (0\u201310 cm topsoil and forest floor) is combined with a greater number of subsamples and a larger sampled area. With refinement and standardization, eDNA metabarcoding, combined with optimized sampling protocols, could become a powerful and efficient tool for monitoring soil biodiversity in European soils. Description of the files This dataset includes interactive Krona taxonomy charts to visually summarize the diversity and relative read abundance of detected taxa across sampling locations and protocols. Each ring in the chart represents a taxonomic level, with the relative width of segments reflecting the proportion of reads assigned to specific taxa at that level. These charts enable exploration of taxonomic composition and allow for comparisons between the different sampled locations, sampling protocols tested, and primer sets tested. All krona charts were made in R using psadd::plot_krona. To correct for uneven sequencing depth per sample, datasets were rarefied using a random subsampling method to 27913, 31655, 1856, 19728, and 19632 reads for Annelida (Olig01), Collembola (Coll01), Fungi (ITS9mun/ITS4ngsUni), protists (18S), and Archaea (SSU1ArF/SSU1000ArR) respectively. Fauna datasets that are subsets of the total data recovered by a primer set designed to target many different phyla (e.g. 18S) were not rarefied prior to generating the krona plots. ejp_soil_annelida_olig01_27913.html contains the interactive taxonomy charts for Annelida. The data was generated using the group-specific Olig01 primer set and rarefied to 27,913 reads per sample. ejp_soil_collembola_coll01_31655.html contains the interactive taxonomy charts for Collembola. The data was generated using the group-specific Coll01 primer set and rarefied to 31,655 reads per sample. ejp_soil_arthropoda_inse01.html contains the interactive taxonomy charts for Arthropoda (Insecta, Arachnida, Chilopoda, Diplura, and Malacostraca). The data was generated using the Inse01 primer set. ejp_soil_fungi_its9mun_its4ngsuni_1856.html contains the interactive taxonomy charts for Fungi. The data was generated using the ITS9mun and ITS4ngsUni primer set and rarefied to 1,856 reads per sample. ejp_soil_protists_18s_19728.html contains the interactive taxonomy charts for protists. The data was generated using the eukaryotic 18S primer set and rarefied to 19,728 reads per sample. ejp_soil_archaea_ssu1arf_ssu1000arr_19632.html contains the interactive taxonomy charts for Archaea. The data was generated using the SSU1ArF and SSU1000ArR primer set and rarefied to 19,632 reads per sample. ejp_soil_annelida_18s.html contains the interactive taxonomy charts for Annelida. The data was generated using the eukaryotic 18S primer set. ejp_soil_collembola_18s.html contains the interactive taxonomy charts for Collembola. The data was generated using the eukaryotic 18S primer set. ejp_soil_arthropoda_18s.html contains the interactive taxonomy charts for Arthropoda. The data was generated using the eukaryotic 18S primer set. ejp_soil_metadata.csv contains metadata for the samples in this study. It includes information about the sampling locations, the sampling protocols used, the sampling depth (cm), land use type, EUNIS habitat classification, and the LUCAS-ID for each sample.", "keywords": ["soil monitoring", "metabarcoding", "LUCAS", "soil biodiversity", "eDNA"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Lambrechts, Sam, Deflem, Io Sarah, Sensalari, Cecilia, De Backer, Silke, De Beer, Berdien, Neyrinck, Sabrina, De Vos, Bruno,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14845589"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5281/zenodo.14845589", "name": "item", "description": "10.5281/zenodo.14845589", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5281/zenodo.14845589"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2025-02-10T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5281/zenodo.15046019", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:22:29Z", "type": "Report", "title": "Comparison and evaluation of sampling and eDNA metabarcoding protocols to assess soil biodiversity in Belgian LUCAS Biopoints", "description": "Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is emerging as a novel tool for monitoring soil biodiversity. Soil biodiversity, critical to soil health and ecosystem services, remains under-monitored due to the lack of standardized and efficient methods. We evaluated whether refinements to sampling protocols (for soil invertebrates and Fungi) and molecular protocols (for soil invertebrates) could improve biodiversity detection. Comparing the 2018 LUCAS soil biodiversity protocol with newly developed national methods, we tested sampling and sequencing surface layers (0-10 cm and forest floor) versus deeper layers, larger soil sample sizes for DNA-extraction, taking more subsamples for composite soil samples, and alternative primer sets across 9 Belgian Biopoints included in the LUCAS 2022 survey. We show that the choice of sampling protocol significantly influences soil biodiversity assessments. The results show that, based on eDNA, we are able to detect significantly more species when sampling and sequencing the upper soil layers separately, while the diversity in the 10\u201330 cm soil layer is insufficient for annelids and arthropods to serve as indicators of ecological changes. Collembola and Arthropoda richness and diversity generally increased towards less intensely managed soils, when using the national (Cmon), and to a lesser extent the European (LUCAS) sampling protocols. In contrast, sampling and sequencing the 10-30 cm layer failed to capture such a pattern. Overall, the analyses suggest that soil depth has a greater influence on the soil invertebrate diversity captured than sampling intensity, and that the highest diversity is recovered when surface sampling (0\u201310 cm topsoil and forest floor) is combined with a greater number of subsamples (16 compared to 5 in LUCAS) and a larger sampled area. Additionally, comparison of the universal eukaryotic primers (18S) with primer sets tailored to important soil invertebrate groups, showed that universal 18S primers provide limited resolution for Collembola and Annelida, making them less suitable for accurately assessing the diversity of these groups as a response variable in monitoring ecological changes and biological soil health. With refinement and standardization, eDNA metabarcoding, combined with optimized sampling protocols, could become a powerful and efficient tool for monitoring soil biodiversity in European soils.", "keywords": ["EJP SOIL", "soil monitoring", "metabarcoding", "LUCAS", "soil biodiversity", "eDNA"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15046019"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5281/zenodo.15046019", "name": "item", "description": "10.5281/zenodo.15046019", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5281/zenodo.15046019"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2025-03-18T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5281/zenodo.15187631", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:22:31Z", "type": "Dataset", "title": "Supporting data of the paper: Plastic pollution of soils \u2013 assessing EU policies to address a poorly regulated field", "description": "In our research paper we discuss the effectiveness of selected EU policies to protect soils from plastic pollution. In this published policy profile, we provide an additional overview of all international and EU policies related to plastic pollution of soils. The results of our research show that the policy instruments assessed address some entry pathways of micro- and nanoplastics into soils, but fail to comprehensively limit plastic pollution. In fact, all policies suffer from multiple governance problems, such as lack of target stringency, and shifting and rebound effects. The impact on soil plastic pollution remains limited. We therefore recommend aligning plastics policies with climate policies in line with the Paris Agreement, and also limiting plastic production through appropriate policy instruments such as cap-and-trade schemes.", "keywords": ["Governance of Plastics", "Soil Monitoring Law", "Microplastics", "Plastic Pollution", "EU Policy", "Nanoplastics", "Soil Pollution"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Stubenrauch, Jessica, Heyl, Katharine,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15187631"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5281/zenodo.15187631", "name": "item", "description": "10.5281/zenodo.15187631", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5281/zenodo.15187631"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2025-04-10T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5281/zenodo.7576836", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:23:18Z", "type": "Report", "title": "AI4SoilHealth project: accelerating collection and use of soil health information using AI technology to support the Soil Deal for Europe and EU Soil Observatory", "description": "The objective of AI4SoilHealth is to co-design, create and maintain an open access European-wide digital infrastructure, compiled using state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods combined with new and deep soil health understanding and measures. The AI-based data infrastructure would function as a Digital Twin to the real-World biophysical system, a Soil Digital Twin, that could be then used for assessing and continuously monitoring Soil Health metrics by land use and/or management parcel, supporting the European Commission\u2019s objective of transitioning towards healthy soils by 2030. The project is divided into seven (7) work-packages including: (WP2) Policy and stakeholder engagement - networking and synchronising with EU and national programmes, (WP3) Soil health methodology and standards - developing/testing methodology to be used by WPs 4-6, (WP4) Soil health in-situ monitoring tools and data - developing field and laboratory solutions for Observations & Measurements, (WP5) Harmonised EU-wide soil monitoring services - developing the final suite of tools, data and services, (WP6) Multi-actor engagement pilots - organizing field-works and collect users' feedback, (WP7) Soil literacy, capacity building and communication - organizing public campaigns and producing educational materials. Key deliverables of the project include: 1) Coherent Soil Health Index methodology, 2) Rapid Soil Health Assessment Toolbox, 3) AI4SoilHealth Data Cube for Europe, 4) Soil-Health-Soil-Degradation-Monitor, and 5) AI4SoilHealth API and Mobile phone App. Produced tools will be exposed to target-users (including farmer associations in >10 countries), so their feedback is used to improve design/functionality. Produced high-resolution pan-European datasets will be distributed under an Open Data licence, allowing easy access by development communities.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "soil health", "13. Climate action", "AI", "soil monitoring", "11. Sustainability", "open data", "data cube", "15. Life on land", "6. Clean water", "12. Responsible consumption"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Wheeler, Ichsani", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7576836"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5281/zenodo.7576836", "name": "item", "description": "10.5281/zenodo.7576836", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5281/zenodo.7576836"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2023-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5281/zenodo.7576835", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:23:18Z", "type": "Report", "title": "AI4SoilHealth project: accelerating collection and use of soil health information using AI technology to support the Soil Deal for Europe and EU Soil Observatory", "description": "The objective of AI4SoilHealth is to co-design, create and maintain an open access European-wide digital infrastructure, compiled using state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods combined with new and deep soil health understanding and measures. The AI-based data infrastructure would function as a Digital Twin to the real-World biophysical system, a Soil Digital Twin, that could be then used for assessing and continuously monitoring Soil Health metrics by land use and/or management parcel, supporting the European Commission\u2019s objective of transitioning towards healthy soils by 2030. The project is divided into seven (7) work-packages including: (WP2) Policy and stakeholder engagement - networking and synchronising with EU and national programmes, (WP3) Soil health methodology and standards - developing/testing methodology to be used by WPs 4-6, (WP4) Soil health in-situ monitoring tools and data - developing field and laboratory solutions for Observations & Measurements, (WP5) Harmonised EU-wide soil monitoring services - developing the final suite of tools, data and services, (WP6) Multi-actor engagement pilots - organizing field-works and collect users' feedback, (WP7) Soil literacy, capacity building and communication - organizing public campaigns and producing educational materials. Key deliverables of the project include: 1) Coherent Soil Health Index methodology, 2) Rapid Soil Health Assessment Toolbox, 3) AI4SoilHealth Data Cube for Europe, 4) Soil-Health-Soil-Degradation-Monitor, and 5) AI4SoilHealth API and Mobile phone App. Produced tools will be exposed to target-users (including farmer associations in >10 countries), so their feedback is used to improve design/functionality. Produced high-resolution pan-European datasets will be distributed under an Open Data licence, allowing easy access by development communities.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "soil health", "13. Climate action", "AI", "soil monitoring", "11. Sustainability", "open data", "data cube", "15. Life on land", "6. Clean water", "12. Responsible consumption"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Wheeler, Ichsani", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7576835"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5281/zenodo.7576835", "name": "item", "description": "10.5281/zenodo.7576835", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5281/zenodo.7576835"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2023-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "2768294139", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:25:23Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2017-11-22", "title": "Gap assessment in current soil monitoring networks across Europe for measuring soil functions", "description": "Soil is the most important natural resource for life on Earth after water. Given its fundamental role in sustaining the human population, both the availability and quality of soil must be managed sustainably and protected. To ensure sustainable management we need to understand the intrinsic functional capacity of different soils across Europe and how it changes over time. Soil monitoring is needed to support evidence-based policies to incentivise sustainable soil management. To this aim, we assessed which soil attributes can be used as potential indicators of five soil functions; (1) primary production, (2) water purification and regulation, (3) carbon sequestration and climate regulation, (4) soil biodiversity and habitat provisioning and (5) recycling of nutrients. We compared this list of attributes to existing national (regional) and EU-wide soil monitoring networks. The overall picture highlighted a clearly unbalanced dataset, in which predominantly chemical soil parameters were included, and soil biological and physical attributes were severely under represented. Methods applied across countries for indicators also varied. At a European scale, the LUCAS-soil survey was evaluated and again confirmed a lack of important soil biological parameters, such as C mineralisation rate, microbial biomass and earthworm community, and soil physical measures such as bulk density. In summary, no current national or European monitoring system exists which has the capacity to quantify the five soil functions and therefore evaluate multi-functional capacity of a soil and in many countries no data exists at all. This paper calls for the addition of soil biological and some physical parameters within the LUCAS-soil survey at European scale and for further development of national soil monitoring schemes.", "keywords": ["[SDE] Environmental Sciences", "570", "[SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio]", "Science", "QC1-999", "soil functions;soil monitoring networks;soil attributes;Europe", "Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering", "630", "12. Responsible consumption", "GE1-350", "TD1-1066", "2. Zero hunger", "Physics", "Q", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "soil functions", "15. Life on land", "S590 Soill / Talajtan", "soil monitoring networks", "6. Clean water", "[SDV] Life Sciences [q-bio]", "Europe", "Environmental sciences", "soil attributes", "13. Climate action", "[SDE]Environmental Sciences", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-02622332/file/2017_Leeuwen_Environmental%20Research%20Letters_1.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/2768294139"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Environmental%20Research%20Letters", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "2768294139", "name": "item", "description": "2768294139", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/2768294139"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2017-12-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10261/368118", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:24:22Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2024-09-14", "title": "Comparing LUCAS Soil and national systems: Towards a harmonized European Soil monitoring network", "description": "A recent assessment states that 60\u201370% of soils in Europe are considered degraded. Protecting such valuable resource require knowledge on soil status through monitoring systems. In Europe, different types of monitoring networks currently exist in parallel. Many EU Member states (MS) developed their own national soil information monitoring system (N-SIMS), some being in place for decades. In parallel in 2009, the European Commission extended the periodic Land Use/Land Cover Area Frame Survey (LUCAS) led by EUROSTAT to sample and analyse the main properties of topsoil in EU in order to develop a homogeneous dataset for EU.Both sources of information are needed to support European policies on soil health evaluation. However, a question remains whether the assessment obtained by using soil properties from both monitoring programs (N-SIMS and LUCAS Soil) are comparable, and what could be the limitations of using either one dataset or the other.Conducted in the context of European Joint Programme (EJP) SOIL, this study shows the results of a comparison between N-SIMS and LUCAS Soil programs among 12 different EU member states including BE, DE, DK, EE, ES, FR, DE, HU, IT, NL, PL, SE and SK. The comparison was done on: (i) the sampling strategies including site densities, land cover and soil type distribution; (ii) the statistical distribution of three soil properties (organic carbon, pH and clay content); (iii) two potential indicators of soil quality (i.e. OC/Clay ratio and pH classes). The results underlined substantial differences in soil properties statistical distributions between N-SIMS and LUCAS Soil in many member states, particularly for woodland and grassland soils, affecting the evaluation of soil health using indicators. Such differences might be explained by both the monitoring strategy and sampling or analytical protocols exposing the potential effect of data source on European and national policies. The results demonstrate the need to work towards data harmonization and in the light of the Soil Monitoring Law, to carefully design the future of soil monitoring in Europe taking into account both LUCAS Soil and N-SIMS considering the significant impact of the monitoring strategies and protocols on soil health indicators.", "keywords": ["Europe", "Soil health", "Science", "Q", "Soil monitoring", "Soil monitoring ; Soil health ; Policies ; Europe ; LUCAS Soil", "[SDV.SA.SDS]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Agricultural sciences/Soil study", "[SDV.SA.SDS] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Agricultural sciences/Soil study", "Policies", "630", "LUCAS Soil"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10261/368118"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Geoderma", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10261/368118", "name": "item", "description": "10261/368118", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10261/368118"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2024-09-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10261/406452", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:24:24Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2025-10-14", "title": "Digital Soil Health Assessment: Pedogenon Mapping and Unit\u2010Specific Thresholds for Basque Country Forest Plantations", "description": "ABSTRACT

In Europe, rural landscapes and forests have been subjected to intensive anthropogenic transformations and uses since Antiquity. Since the early 20th century, many traditionally managed forests and mountain pastures were transformed into intensive forestry plantations. Hence, it is important to assess the effects of forest plantations on soil health. The European Soil Monitoring Law (SML) proposes the establishment of soil units for monitoring soil health and soil degradation processes using time\uffe2\uff80\uff90series of several indicators: SOC:clay for soil organic carbon (SOC) loss, pH for acidification and bulk density for compaction, among others. Thresholds that may be local must be defined for these different indicators. We propose an approach in which: (1) we delineate soil units applying unsupervised classification to a set of environmental covariates, proxies of the soil\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming factors (pedogenon mapping) and (2) use semi\uffe2\uff80\uff90natural native forests (i.e., secondary forests of native species with lesser human interventions compared to past decades) as references for setting unit\uffe2\uff80\uff90specific thresholds for soil indicators (reference approach) and (3) assessing and mapping the condition of forest plantations (intensively managed forests). We apply this approach to the Basque Country using soil data from the forest monitoring network Basonet. When considering the threshold suggested by the SML for SOC:clay (<\uffe2\uff80\uff891/13), 61% of plots at 0\uffe2\uff80\uff9320\uffe2\uff80\uff89cm layer and 90% at 20\uffe2\uff80\uff9340\uffe2\uff80\uff89cm layer of plantations were in poor condition (unhealthy), while 37% of plots at 0\uffe2\uff80\uff9320\uffe2\uff80\uff89cm and 79% at 20\uffe2\uff80\uff9340\uffe2\uff80\uff89cm of semi\uffe2\uff80\uff90natural forests would be considered unhealthy. When considering semi\uffe2\uff80\uff90natural forest as references the proportion of plantation plots in poor condition for SOC:clay ranged between 14%\uffe2\uff80\uff9350% depending on the percentile used to set thresholds (5th and 25th percentiles). Forest plantations had lower soil pH compared to semi\uffe2\uff80\uff90natural forests, with 15%\uffe2\uff80\uff9360% of plantation plots with pH lower than the unit\uffe2\uff80\uff90specific thresholds (poor condition). Only 3% of topsoils and 2% of subsoils under plantations were considered unhealthy with a fixed pH threshold of 4.2. All plantation plots were in good condition (healthy) in terms of bulk density with the EU criteria, but 9.6% of semi\uffe2\uff80\uff90natural plots had greater bulk density than the suggested thresholds. Our approach demonstrates the need of considering the context of soil\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming factors when identifying thresholds for soil health indicators.

European soils and their status is a matter of concern that has entered the policy arena and the objective to restore soil health is part of the Soil strategy to 2030. Aim of this study is to explore the integration of the concept of soil health and the provision of soil ecosystem service by conducting i) a content analysis of EU policies and ii) a scoping review of literature over policy instruments for soil governance. Results show a focus on soil fertility, mainly soil organic matter, while services such as conservation of biodiversity or cultural heritage still appear underrepresented. Findings are reinforced by the gap in literature, providing little evidence of policy instruments contributing to soil health. A more coordinated effort among policy sectors is required to prioritize soil health in the EU; invesitgating the role of market-based instruments could complement what public policies are lacking.

", "keywords": ["ecosystem services; incentives; policy instruments; soil health; soil monitoring law", "Q10", "soil health", "policy instruments", "Soil Monitoring Law", "ddc:330", "incentives", "Q15", "SH1-691", "Forestry", "SD1-669.5", "Q57", "soil health", " ecosystem services", " policy instruments", "incentives", " Soil Monitoring Law", "Aquaculture. Fisheries. Angling", "ecosystem services"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://sfera.unife.it/bitstream/11392/2593331/1/W00119_75-92_05-15466-Winkler.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/11568/1271387"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Bio-based%20and%20Applied%20Economics", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "11568/1271387", "name": "item", "description": "11568/1271387", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/11568/1271387"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2024-09-10T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "11590/469733", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:24:42Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2024-02-26", "title": "A 1 billion euro mission: A Soil Deal for Europe", "description": "Abstract

Soils have achieved prominence in the political agenda of the European Commission with the proposal for a Soil Monitoring Law and the ambitious Soil Mission research framework. The EU Soil Observatory (EUSO) used the latest state\uffe2\uff80\uff90of\uffe2\uff80\uff90the\uffe2\uff80\uff90art pan\uffe2\uff80\uff90European datasets to propose a preliminary assessment of soil health in the EU based on 18 soil degradation proxy indicators. The body of knowledge will soon be enriched thanks to the investment of 1\uffe2\uff80\uff89billion euros towards the Mission \uffe2\uff80\uff98A Soil Deal for Europe\uffe2\uff80\uff99, which has the ambition to promote the development of new harmonized bottom\uffe2\uff80\uff90up and top\uffe2\uff80\uff90down soil health indicators. New data and knowledge are also anticipated through the national soil monitoring schemes to support the implementation of the Soil Monitoring Law. We present the Soil Mission roadmap towards assessing and achieving soil health in the EU by 2030 to meet Green Deal objectives. We introduce the EUSO Soil Health Dashboard, a soil degradation indicator tool using soil health indicators developed by the European Soil Data Centre (ESDAC) (2012\uffe2\uff80\uff932023) that will contribute to Soil Monitoring Law assessments.