EEA SIGNALS 2019 - Land and soil in Europe

Publication Created 26 Sep 2019 Published 30 Sep 2019

We cannot live without healthy land and soil. It is on land that we produce most of our food and we build our homes. For all species — animals and plants living on land or water — land is vital. Soil — one of the essential components of land — is a very complex and often undervalued element, teeming with life. Unfortunately, the way we currently use land and soil in Europe and in the world is not sustainable. This has significant impacts on life on land.

Publication Created 26 Sep 2019 Published 30 Sep 2019

Topics: Land use , Soil , Agriculture ,

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Protecting Europe's land and soil resources is fundamental for a sustainable future Land and soil underpin life on our planet. The way we currently use these vital and finite resources in Europe is not sustainable. Human activities — growing cities and infrastructure networks, intensive agriculture, pollutants and greenhouse gases released to the environment — transform Europe’s landscapes and exert increasing pressure on land and soil. The European Environment Agency’s (EEA) Signals 2019, published today, looks at a series of issues linked to land and soil, including links to climate change, agriculture, soil biodiversity, contamination and governance, and stresses why we need to manage them sustainably.

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Soil and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many global policy frameworks, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),directly and indirectly address land and soil. Many of these SGDs cannot be achieved without healthysoils and a sustainable land use. Below is an overview of the SDGs with strong links to soil.

Nature's nutrient cycle Soil plays a crucial role in nature’s cycles, including the nutrient cycle, which involves how much soil organicmatter — i.e. carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus — is taken up and stored in soil. Organic compounds, suchas leaves and root tips, are broken down to simpler compounds by organisms living in soil before they canbe used by plants. Some soil bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen into mineral nitrogen, which is essentialfor plant growth. Fertilisers introduce nitrogen and phosphates to induce plant growth but not all amountsare taken up by plants. The excess can enter rivers and lakes and affect life in these water ecosystems.

Soil, land and climate change Soil contains significant amounts of carbon and nitrogen, which can be released into the atmospheredepending on how we use the land. Clearing or planting forests, the melting of permafrost can tilt thegreenhouse gas emission balance one way or the other. Climate change can also substantially alter whatfarmers can produce and where.

State of play Europe’s land cover has remained relatively stable since 2000, with about 25 % covered by arable land and permanent crops, 17 % by pastures and 34 % by forests. At the same time, cities and concrete infrastructures continue to expand and the total area used for agriculture decreased. Although artificial surfaces cover less than 5 % of the wider EEA territory, a sizeable area still became sealed (covered by concrete or asphalt) between 2000 and 2018. The good news is that the rate of increase in artificial surface areas has slowed down in recent years.

Towards sustainable management of land and soil Europe's land and soil face a number of pressures, including urban expansion, contamination from agriculture and industry, soil sealing, landscape fragmentation, low crop diversity, soil erosion and extreme weather events linked to climate change. Greener cities with cleaner energy and transport systems, a green infrastructure connecting green areas, less intensive sustainable agricultural practices can help make Europe's land use more sustainable and soils healthier.

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Albania , Austria , Belgium , Bosnia and Herzegovina , Bulgaria , Croatia , Cyprus , Czechia , Denmark , Estonia , Finland , France , Germany , Greece , Hungary , Iceland , Ireland , Italy , Kosovo , Latvia , Liechtenstein , Lithuania , Luxembourg , Malta , Montenegro , Netherlands , North Macedonia , Norway , Poland , Portugal , Romania , Serbia , Slovakia , Slovenia , Spain , Sweden , Switzerland , Turkey , United Kingdom

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For references, please go to https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/eea-signals-2019-land or scan the QR code.

PDF generated on 20 Oct 2019, 11:19 AM

BISE	Biodiversity Information System for Europe
Climate-ADAPT	Climate Adaptation Platform
Copernicus In Situ	Copernicus in situ component
Copernicus Land	Copernicus land monitoring

European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register	E-PRTR
Information Platform for Chemical Monitoring	IPCHEM
Marine Water Information System for Europe	WISE-Marine
Fresh Water Information System for Europe	WISE-FreshWater

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EEA SIGNALS 2019 - Land and soil in Europe

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