Status of local soil contamination in Europe : revision of the indicator 'Progress in the management contaminated sites in Europe'

Soil is specified as the top layer of the Earth's crust, formed by mineral particles, organic matter, water, air and living organisms. It is the interface between earth, air and water, and hosts most of the biosphere (European Commission, 2006). Soils must be understood as the base for life and for supporting livelihoods. It is essentially a non-renewable resource, which performs many functions and delivers services vital to human activities and to ecosystem survival. Seven main soil functions were identified in the Proposal for a European soil framework directive (EU, 2006), and are listed in the plan of action for pillar three of the global soil partnership adopted by the GSP plenary assembly in 2015, named: - biomass production, including in agriculture and forestry, -storing, filtering and transforming nutrients and water, - hosting the biodiversity pool, such as habitats, species and genes, - acting as a physical and cultural platform for most humans activities, - providing raw materials, - acting as a carbon pool, - storing the geological and archaeological heritage. However, soils are under increasing environmental pressure across the globe, and the associated soil degradation is raising extreme values in Europe due to a high population density and its related activities, such as industrial activity, inappropriate agricultural and forestry practices, tourism or urban development.