According to the European Union Soil Observatory (EUSO), more than 60% of European soils are unhealthy, and scientific evidence shows that this is getting even worse. Unsustainable use of EU natural resources, in particular the degradation and pollution of soils, is one of the major drivers of the climate and biodiversity crises (source). Any sustainable soil management policy must include soil monitoring.
PREPSOIL is supporting the development of a harmonised framework for soil monitoring in Europe. It is analysing the knowledge base available to monitor soil indicators proposed under the Soil Mission and making proposal to bridge the gap by extending the findings from agricultural soil projects to other types of soils, through the following lines of action. How is PREPSOIL supporting soil monitoring?
Improve the knowledge base for the Mission’s soil monitoring framework, including data harmonisation
PREPSOIL integrates current knowledge on existing monitoring programs and looks for harmonization and improvement of the approaches applied across Europe. It is assessing how to extend the current and upcoming results from other 23 EU projects dedicated to agricultural soils and existing soil monitoring initiatives to natural, forest, urban and industrial soils. The information collected for national monitoring experiences included the description of land use, scale, timeframe, type of threat, sampling strategy; indicators used; additional information on monitoring gaps, weaknesses, recommendation for improvement and data availability. Read “D5.1 Analysis of Knowledge Base Available to Monitor Soil Indicators Proposed Under the Soil Mission” for details on this analysis.
Assess Earth Observation techniques for Soil Health monitoring
Earth observation (EO) provides access to a wide range of information thanks to different vectors (satellite, airborne sensors, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)), different sensors (radar, passive microwave, multispectral, hyperspectral, LiDAR, gamma-ray spectrometry) and a wide range of data processing (e.g. machine learning and deep learning). At the scientific level, the main stumbling blocks (not prohibitive) are related to the limits of information (surface characterization, clouds, compatibility of scales, standardization/harmonization of measurements, etc.) and data treatments; various scientific works try to cope with these challenges, partly thanks to EU research projects.
PREPSOIL aims to assess how remote sensing Earth Observation (EO) can provide the basic information needed to estimate some of the soil health indicators proposed by the Mission Board “Caring for Soil is Caring for Life” and the EUSO Dashboard, or suggested by the most frequently mentioned soil threats in 20 regions surveyed in PREPSOIL. It deals successively with the state of scientific knowledge, the technological resources that can be mobilized (including a stocktake of the products offered by Copernicus Land Monitoring Service (CMLS) as well an assessment of the impact of available data, spatial/temporal resolutions and models on the water erosion indicator), and the identification of bottlenecks to greater use of EO for soil monitoring and measures to reduce/minimise these difficulties.
Online workshops are being organized in 4 different European countries (France, Poland, Czech Republic and Norway) bringing together scientists, the public and private sector, and non-governmental organizations, among others.
Obstacles to greater use of EO data vary with the national context, including the number of experts in remote sensing and/or soil and the skills of other end users. A number of solutions need to be explored to solve these problems: raising awareness, supporting and training end-users of EO products and data, encouraging interaction between scientists on the one hand and public authorities and other end-users on the other (meetings, workshops, collaborative web space...); creating new links between education and research. Read “D5.2 Technical feasibility in using CLMS satellite-based EO to estimate soil health indicators” for details on this analysis and outcomes of the workshops.
Importance of Citizen Science for soil monitoring purposes
PREPSOIL is analysing Citizen Science’s (CS) role in enhancing environmental and soil health monitoring, as a vital component of scientific research that not only increases data accuracy but also enhances public involvement in scientific endeavours across various domains. PREPSOIL analysed various EU projects, through questionnaires distributed during workshops with various Living Labs (LLs), that exemplify the integration of CS into soil and land use monitoring, showcasing diverse methodologies (namely through mobile applications) and outcomes aimed at sustainable natural resource management.
Along with the analysis, PREPSOIL has recommendations to bring CS in soil monitoring a step-further in open science. The usage of standards in line with FAIR principles to improve data interoperability, robust data validation, as well as the quality and reliability of data collected, along with the adoption of advanced technologies such as remote sensing and Artificial Intelligence are some recommendations. Read “D5.3 Feasibility of citizen science engagement for soil monitoring according to soil needs and LLs, from June 2024.
PREPSOIL also launched the PREPSOIL Mobile App, a free digital solution helping citizens acquire knowledge on soil and support European universities, institutions, and soil initiatives with real-life insights. It contains the SOIL QUESTS, a CS initiative from PREPSOIL where every citizen has the chance to contribute to be part of PREPSOIL effort in promoting healthy soils.
Promote capacity building for improved monitoring knowledge base
PREPSOIL is developing a soil health monitoring and assessment in Europe, by assessing training needs and proposing a curriculum for a pilot course to addressed specific needs of different stakeholders and soil uses.
A preliminary proposal for training topics, based primarily on the Directive for a Soil Monitoring and Resilience, is being defined and validated through consultations with the European Commission, European Member States, LLs, National Soil Health Hubs and other stakeholders groups. This curriculum will be tested in four European pilot workshops designed to improve soil health indicators and practices across Europe.
The PREPSOIL final report "D5.4 Conclusion Report on Training Needs for Monitoring and Assessment of Soil Health with Curriculum for Pilot Course," will include a refined training curriculum based on feedback collected and strengthen soil health monitoring and assessment capacities across EU. More info soon in 2025.
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