next
previous
items

EEA SIGNALS 2019 - Land and soil in Europe

Change language
Publication Created 26 Sep 2019 Published 30 Sep 2019
Cover Image
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.
Downloading: PDF document icon 19064_Signals_EN_v15_JM__WEB_spreads__EN-Q.pdf — PDF document, 10.18 MB (10678812 bytes)
Change language
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.

Download

See additional files

Additional Files

This is the latest published version. See older versions.

Related content

News and articles

Related infographics

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 organic matter — i.e. carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus — is taken up and stored in soil. Organic compounds, such as leaves and root tips, are broken down to simpler compounds by organisms living in soil before they can be used by plants. Some soil bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen into mineral nitrogen, which is essential for plant growth. Fertilisers introduce nitrogen and phosphates to induce plant growth but not all amounts are 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 atmosphere depending on how we use the land. Clearing or planting forests, the melting of permafrost can tilt the greenhouse gas emission balance one way or the other. Climate change can also substantially alter what farmers 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.

See also

Permalinks

Geographic coverage

Temporal coverage

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

PDF generated on 12 Jul 2020, 11:22 PM

EEA Page URL QR
Document Actions
Subscriptions
Sign up to receive our reports (print and/or electronic) and quarterly e-newsletter.
Follow us
The EEA is an agency of the European Union

Engineered by: EEA Web Team

Software updated on 29 June 2020 21:53 from version 20.6.23

Software version: EEA Plone KGS 20.6.27

Code for developers

Systems Status

Legal notice

Creative commons license

CMS login