The health of Europe's soil is crucial for a thriving ecosystem and sustainable agriculture, underscoring the significance of the new report, “Analysis of Knowledge Base Available to Monitor Soil Indicators Proposed Under the Soil Mission”. This report is a key development for scientists, policymakers, and land users. Part of the Horizon Europe initiative, the Soil Mission aims to develop a comprehensive, harmonised soil monitoring framework to assess policy impacts and track soil health trends across the continent.
A major challenge addressed in this mission is the insufficient monitoring of urban, forest, and industrial soils. The PREPSOIL project is tackling this issue by extending agricultural soil monitoring findings to other soil types. The project’s activities involve two main phases: an in-depth review of 23 EU-supported soil monitoring projects and the creation of a national inventory of soil monitoring experiences, especially in non-agricultural areas. The report's findings, based on detailed case studies, provide a foundation for developing robust recommendations for non-agricultural soil monitoring, highlighting the need for continued collaboration among soil experts, national hubs, and related organisations.