EUSO annual report 2024 : providing data and knowledge to monitor, safeguard and restore soils

Healthy soils are essential for providing healthy food and achieving climate neutrality. The publication of the EU Soil Strategy for 2030, the proposed Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive and the Mission Soil marked major milestones for soil protection and restoration in the EU. Given this context, the EU Soil Observatory (EUSO) aims to be the principal provider of knowledge and data on soils at the EU-level and to underpin EU policies related to soils. This report highlights the main activities and outcomes of the EUSO in 2024. During this period, the EUSO provided policy support to a wide range of soil related areas, including the proposed Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive, the Carbon Removal Certification Framework and the Mission Soil. A highlight was the launch of the science for policy report 'The state of soils in Europe', in collaboration with the European Environment Agency, providing an in-depth examination of the pressures affecting soils across Europe. Furthermore, the EUSO updated its Soil Degradation Dashboard and launched a novel EU Soil Strategy Actions Tracker. The latter shows that almost 70% of the policy actions listed in the EU Soil Strategy for 2030 are completed. Next, the European Soil Data Centre, the leading web platform for sharing data and knowledge about EU soils, has grown significantly with 15 new datasets and a 20% increase in requests for datasets. Additionally, the EUSO contributed directly to advanced scientific knowledge on soils with the publication of 47 scientific papers, 10 technical reports, and 3 science-for-policy reports. Finally, the EUSO organised and contributed to activities to support stakeholder interactions and citizen engagement regarding soils. Highlights include the fourth EUSO Stakeholders Forum, the second Young Soil Researchers Forum, the European Mission Soil Week and the activities of the EUSO Working Groups. During 2025, the EUSO will continue to be the principal provider of soil-related data and knowledge while supporting the implementation of EU policy objectives in relation to soils.