Soil porosity prediction across Europe

An analysis of topsoil porosity across Europe was conducted using data from LUCAS Soil. The conversion from bulk density to porosity – more intuitive for hydrological studies - requires knowledge of the particle density of both mineral and organic components, which is often lacking. A novel method was developed to estimate the particle density of organic matter using stoichiometric datasets from various land use types. The resulting high-resolution dataset is now available on ESDAC.

Post-event report: The European Soil Biodiversity Monitoring symposium

On 2-3 February 2026, EUSO hosted its first European Soil Biodiversity Monitoring (ESBM) symposium at JRC Ispra (Italy). Over 40 scientists discussed standards for soil biodiversity monitoring in light of the Soil Monitoring Law, showcasing European projects and global initiatives. A communication piece with key recommendations is now in development.

Global patterns of gully occurrence

Although gully erosion is a significant driver of land degradation, our understanding of the global patterns and the controlling factors remains limited. Using mapped observations from over 17,000 representative study sites worldwide, random forest models were trained that simulate both the susceptibility to gullying at a 1 km2 resolution and the corresponding gully head density. These new maps, added to ESDAC, can be used to identify gully hotspots driven by natural factors and those where land use plays a dominant role.

Call for abstracts: How can AI help us to achieve healthy soils?

The first part of the EUSO Stakeholders Forum 2026 will take place in June, and will focus on the role of AI-driven technologies to achieve healthy soils by 2050. The online event will highlight the possible role AI tools can play in soil health assessments and in extrapolating soil health data in time and space. It will also discuss AI-driven decision support systems to support sustainable soil management.

Assistance on implementing the voluntary ‘Test your soil for free’ initiative

The EU Soil Strategy for 2030 encourages Member States to set up a ‘Test your soil for free’ initiative. The present report provides technical and informative assistance for interested Member States and stakeholders for setting up and launching this initiative.

Vacancy notice for a seconded national expert post

DG ENV is offering a position for an expert from a national administration to join the Soil team, a small, experienced, friendly and highly motivated team, working on the implementation of the Soil Monitoring Law and the EU Soil Strategy for 2030. The specific tasks for this post relate to the preparation of various implementing and delegated acts and guidance documents to set in motion good transposition and implementation of the SML in the Member States. Deadline for applications: 27.4.2026.

The EU Soil Strategy Actions Tracker has been updated

This tool tracks the progress of the actions listed in EU Soil Strategy for 2030. The Soil Strategy aims to achieve healthy soils by 2050, with concrete actions by 2030. For the moment 75% of these actions are completed, showing that the EU is well on track to complete most of the actions included in the Soil Strategy.