The document summarizes the activities of the European Soil Partnership (ESP). The ESP has 5 pillars that include collecting data on soil sustainability projects in Europe, localizing case studies on maps, writing guidance documents, supporting national soil partnerships, and participating in conferences. Progress has been limited due to lack of funding. National soil protection activities are also discussed, such as developing soil monitoring and strategies. The conclusion is that more resources and collaboration are needed to improve soil management in Europe.

1. European Soil Partnership
Elena Havlicek
ESP Steering Committee
GSP secretariat representative

2. PILLAR 1
COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS OF EXISTING DATA ON SSM IN EUROPE
Project funded by EU: development of a database on EU funded
national and international projects on SSM
 Localization of case studies in combined maps
 Localization of stakeholder networks
 Activation of interaction between the existing networks
 Writing a guidance document on SSM in Europe based on example
projects > main objective: adapt the VGSSM to a European context

3. PILLAR 1
COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS OF EXISTING DATA ON SSM IN EUROPE
 Agricultural projects (34)
 Farmer education and outreach (12)
 Sustainable manure management (7)
 Water management (7)
 River conservation (7)
 Wine, olive & pistacia cultivation (6)
 Modelling, measuring, and monitoring (32)
 Soil and water toxic contamination (44)
 Soil microbial projects (8)
 Grassland, wetland and forest conservation (35)
 Urban projects (25)
 Unusual projects (22)
 Existing EU soil networks (9)
About 250 projects
13 categories
6 selected

4. PILLAR 1
LOCALIZATION OF CASE STUDIES IN COMBINED MAPS

5. PILLAR 1
LOCALIZATION OF CASE STUDIES IN COMBINED MAPS

6. PILLAR 1
LOCALIZATION OF CASE STUDIES IN COMBINED MAPS

7. PILLAR 1
WRITING A GUIDANCE DOCUMENT ON SSM IN EUROPE

8. PILLAR 1
WRITING A GUIDANCE DOCUMENT ON SSM IN EUROPE

9. PILLAR 2
 Limited
success: lack of
funding, better
coordination
 Definition of P2
activities on
one soil theme
(2 year cycle)

10. PILLAR 3
 Overall: limited success: lack of funding
 EASP: «Taking Stock of Human Capital in Soil Science for Central
Asia and the South Caucasus» a review issued (support of the World
Bank)

11. PILLAR 4
 ESP in the steering committee of the European Joint Programme on
agricultural soil management

12. PILLAR 5
 Establishment of EUROSOLAN (Eurasian Soil Laboratory Network)

13. OTHER ACTIVITIES
 AlpSP:cross-boder initiative to facilitate cooperation
Alpine Soil Platform (project Links4Soils) : web node to access information
on soil, SSM, soil experts in the Alpine context > SSM in local languages

14. OTHER ACTIVITIES
 National Soil Partnerships
 ITALY
 PORTUGAL
 SLOVAKIA
 SLOVENIA
Painting with soil’s colours: child picture
(Agrokomplex exhibition 2018)

15. NATIONAL ACTIVITIES
 Austria: new federal waste management plan including rules for
soil re-cultivation
 Slovenia: preparation of a new national environmental
programme (part of it focused on soil degradation)
 Latvia: working on the creation of a national soil information
system in agriculture
 Estonia: establishment of a soil policy working group
 Poland: launch of a national soil platform
 Denmark: national soil erosion map published in 2019
 Germany: developing a concept for a Biodiversity Monitoring
including soil organisms
 The Netherlands: development of a national soil strategy
 Turkey: efforts to develop a national soil information system

16. NATIONAL ACTIVITIES
 France: national plan for biodiversity published in 2018
 Belgium: project on monitoring carbon contents in urban
environement
 Switzerland: development of a national soil strategy
 Israel: beta-version of the Soil Archive launched
 Common Forum: started to focus on diffuse soil pollution (policy
brief by the end of 2019)

17. OTHER ACTIVITIES
 World Congress of Soil Science (August 2018)
 Participation

18. OTHER ACTIVITIES
 World Congress of Soil Science (August 2018)
 Publication
NATURAL CAPITAL
SOIL PROPERTIES
CHEMICAL, PHYSICAL AND
BIOLOGICAL STATE
SOIL FUNCTIONS
POTENTIAL TO PROVIDE
ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
SOCIAL DEMAND
(soil based)
ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
SOCIAL & ECONOMIC VALUES
SOIL USE
LAND USES
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
SDG 2 No Hunger
SDG 3 Good health and Well-being
SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
SDG 13 Climate Action
SDG 15 Life on Land

19. OTHER ACTIVITIES
 EUROSOIL 2020 (24-28 August 2020)

20. USE OF EXISITNG
RESOURCES
CONCLUSIONS
LACK OF RESOURCES
SELECT PRIORITIESLIMITED SUCCESS
IMPROVEMENT POSSIBLE
(ongoing...)
GAPS IN COLLABORATION

21. CONCLUSIONS
 MANY THANKS TO THE GSP SECRETARIAT!

22. CONCLUSIONS Non-legally-binding agreements and guidelines
promote the development of national
legislation for the protection of soils, such as
the FAO’s Global Soil Partnership, the revised
World Soil Charter of the FAO (FAO, 2015) and
the related ‘Voluntary Guidelines for
Sustainable Soil Management’ (FAO, 2017a).
The last of these provide guidance on
minimising soil erosion, enhancing SOM
content, fostering soil nutrient balance and
cycles, preventing, minimising and mitigating
soil salinisation and alkalinisation, preventing
and minimising soil contamination and
acidification, preserving and enhancing soil
biodiversity, minimising soil sealing, preventing
and mitigating soil compaction, and improving
soil water management. These and other
agreements and guidelines provide a useful
framework for national governments to act
towards sustainable soil management. A
recently established European Soil Partnership,
a regional soil partnership within the Global
Soil Partnership, invites governments to join a
‘coalition of the willing’ towards European soil
protection.

23. May 5, 2019 (Wendy MacNaughton, graphic journalist)