How the EU Soil Observatory contributes to a stronger soil erosion community

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Agricultural Science
• Policy Studies

Background:

• Recent EU policy developments, including the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2023-2027, a proposed Soil Monitoring Law, and the 'A Soil Deal for Europe' mission, establish a new policy framework for soil conservation.
• This framework necessitates updated scientific assessments of soil erosion and land degradation across the European Union.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize the key challenges faced by the soil erosion research community.
• To support the growing emphasis on the role of soils within the EU Green Deal objectives.
• To build upon the outcomes of the EU Soil Observatory's 2022 scientific workshop on soil erosion.

Main Methods:

• The study is an editorial summarizing challenges based on a scientific workshop.
• It follows up on a workshop that received 120 abstracts, leading to the selection of nine manuscripts for a special issue.
• Discussions covered management practices, large-scale modeling, sediment nutrient cycling, landslides, and early career scientist development.

Main Results:

• A significant international workshop on soil erosion was successfully organized, attracting over 330 participants from 63 countries.
• Nine selected manuscripts from the workshop abstracts will be published in a special issue, addressing critical soil erosion topics.
• The research community faces challenges in aligning soil erosion research with the EU Green Deal's goals.

Conclusions:

• Effective soil conservation requires updated scientific assessments to align with new EU policies.
• Addressing soil erosion is crucial for achieving the environmental objectives of the EU Green Deal.
• Continued research and collaboration are needed to support evidence-based soil management and policy.