Summary
This policy-oriented paper examines the multifaceted concept of soil quality at continental scale, distinguishing it from the broader concept of soil health. The authors propose four conceptual frameworks for soil quality assessment and argue that the 'Free from Degradation' framework is particularly suited to protection-focused, pan-European soil monitoring because it directly addresses soil threats. The work provides methodological guidance for the European Union Soil Observatory and national monitoring programmes implementing the Mission Soil initiative.
UK applicability
The frameworks and indicator-selection principles proposed are directly applicable to UK soil monitoring programmes and may inform UK participation in European soil health assessments under the Mission Soil framework. However, framework selection would need to account for UK-specific soil types, climate variability, and existing national monitoring infrastructure.
Key measures
Soil quality assessment frameworks; soil indicator selection criteria; alignment with soil protection and soil threat identification
Outcomes reported
The paper identifies and describes four distinct frameworks for soil quality assessment ('Fitness for Purpose', 'Free from Degradation', 'External Benchmarking', and 'Value Assessment') and emphasises the 'Free from Degradation' framework as most suitable for pan-European soil monitoring by the European Union Soil Observatory. It addresses the challenge of selecting appropriate soil indicators across Europe given diverse climate, topography, geology and soil types.
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