Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

144 Chapter 6: Soil 2. Soil health and global threats to soil health Soil health is defined as the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals and humans (Lehman et al. , 2020). A healthy soil has good biological, chemical and physical (structural) properties. Healthy soils are better able to support the functions and services outlined in Figure 6.1. They take many years to form, so protecting their health is of vital importance to ecosystems and food systems. Soil health is protected by ensuring that soil chemistry is in the right balance, maintaining soil structure and integrity, and safeguarding the soil biome. Healthy soils support climate action. Soil can act as a carbon sink to mitigate climate change, and healthy soils have better water retention capacity for withstanding droughts or helping with flood management during extreme rainfall and flooding events. Soils are essential for food security: 95% of our food is directly or indirectly produced on soils. Healthy soils are essential for supporting high yields of nutritious food. The European Commission estimates that soil degradation is costing the European Union (EU) tens of billions of euros every year. A United Nations’ (UN) assessment identified global threats to soil health (UNCCD, 2017) (Figure 6.2). Figure 6.2  Soil health and threats to soil health Soil Health Soil Biology Soil Structure (Physical Characteristics) Loss of soil biodiversity Soil contamination Soil organic carbon loss Soil nutrient imbalance Soil salinisation & sodification Soil sealing Soil compaction Soil erosion Soil Chemistry Source: Adapted from UNCCD, 2017 3. EU Soil Strategy Research on the links between soil health, plant diversity, terrestrial ecosystems and carbon sequestration shows that protecting soil health delivers benefits to the whole ecosystem, to food security and to climate action. The EU Soil Strategy for 2030 (EC, 2021a) sets out a vision to achieve healthy soils by 2050. The strategy follows a European Environment Agency (EEA) conclusion in 2019 that the lack of a comprehensive policy framework to protect land and soil would limit European environmental and sustainability objectives. A review identified that, while soil-relevant EU policy spans many themes, it does not include specific overarching soil legislation (EI, 2017). Adopted in 2021, the EU Soil Strategy seeks to address the lack of a legal framework for the protection of soils and to provide soils with legal protection similar to that of water, air and the marine environment (Figure 6.3). A pillar of the EU Soil Strategy is to provide a legal framework through the development of a soil monitoring law. A proposal for an EU soil monitoring law was published in 2023 and is being reviewed by the European Parliament in 2024. Figure 6.3 What the EU Soil Strategy sets out Sets out a framework and concrete measures for the protection, restoration and sustainable use of soils , in synergy with other European Green Deal policies. Sets a vision and objectives to achieve healthy soils by 2050 with concrete actions by 2030. Announces a new Soil Monitoring Law to ensure a level playing field and a high level of environmental and health protection. Source: Adapted from EC, 2021b