EU Soil Observatory (EUSO) - Newsletter February 2026
See latest highlights and insights on soil-related research and policy developments within the European Union.
EUSO/ESDAC Newsletter
EU Soil Observatory (EUSO)
Newsletter No 185 - February 2026
Dear Readers,
The February edition of the EU Soil Observatory (EUSO) newsletter is now available, providing the latest highlights and insights on soil-related research and policy developments within the European Union.
Wildfires induce significant disturbances to topsoil properties, increasing surface runoff and accelerating soil erosion. This new dataset provides annual global estimates of post-fire soil erosion from 2001–2019. The dataset integrates erosion estimates with spatial information enabling the assessment of cumulative soil degradation driven by repeated burns. This resource supports global-scale analysis of wildfire-induced land degradation and offers a basis for post-fire risk mitigation and policy strategies.
Impact of healthy diet shifts on soil greenhouse gas emissions across Europe
Adopting healthy, plant-based diets is a recognized strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from food systems, through reduced methane emissions from livestock. In this paper, we assessed the impacts of dietary shifts on soil GHG balance across the EU. Results show that a dietary shift can lead to SOC losses of an EU average of 14 ton CO2e/ha (50 ton CO2e/ha in livestock-intensive regions) by 2100. However, afforestation of land released from production could offset half of these losses. Above-ground biomass from afforestation could yield an additional 65 ton C/ha in afforested areas, resulting in net CO2 removal at the EU scale.
52 publications in Scopus indexed journals from the JRC EUSO team in 2025
In 2025, the JRC EUSO team contributed to 52 articles in peer review journals. Most papers have corresponding datasets published in ESDAC. Some highlights of the 2025 articles:
In ESDAC, the section Journal Articles includes now almost 500 published papers from the EUSO team in the JRC. Most of the papers refer to the last 13 years (2013-2025).
Commission invites public input on future carbon farming voluntary certification
To help land managers scale up climate-friendly practices, the Commission is developing certification methodologies designed to provide farmers and foresters with result-based payments for their climate action. These payments will supplement their income and encourage a transition towards more resilient and sustainable production systems. The draft certification methodologies for carbon farming activities are now available for public feedback on the "Have Your Say" portal. The consultation closes on 19 February 2026.
Peat-DBase compiles geolocated observations of peat depth, soil carbon content, bulk density, and site characteristics. As such, Peat-DBase will help researchers to map, understand, and protect peatlands. The current version of the database misses however some regions. We are therefore inviting peatland researchers to contribute data to Peat-DBase. We have a maximally inclusive authorship policy for this dataset. If you wish to submit data to Peat-DBase, please fill out this preliminary survey and you will be contacted with further instructions.
