Soil health is increasingly recognised as a critical environmental, agricultural and policy issue. As new research and the EU Soil Monitoring Law reshape how soil health is assessed, this article explores the scale of degradation and what can be done to protect and restore Europe’s soils.
Healthy soil supports food production, stores carbon, helps regulate water and sustains biodiversity. Yet much of Europe’s soil is under pressure. The European Commission estimates that 60–70% of EU soils are unhealthy, making soil protection a pressing issue for agriculture, land management and environmental policy.
In 2026, the policy context has changed. The EU Soil Monitoring Law entered into force on 16 December 2025, establishing a framework for monitoring and assessing soils across the EU. Attention is now turning towards implementation, better evidence and support for land managers.
Alongside this legal development, recent research is improving our understanding of where degradation occurs and how climate and land use could influence future risks.
For farmers, businesses and public authorities, the central challenge is practical: understanding which soil functions are deteriorating, identifying the causes and choosing interventions that suit the location.
What is soil health?
Soil health describes the condition of soil and its ability to function as a living system. A useful assessment considers its physical, chemical and biological characteristics together.
These include soil structure, organic carbon, acidity, nutrient balance and biological activity. The EU’s monitoring framework reflects this broader approach by covering physical, chemical and biological aspects of soil condition.
This means soil health cannot be understood through crop yield or a single laboratory result alone. An assessment needs to establish which functions are working, which pressures are present and what the findings mean for the land’s use.
Why healthy soil matters
Soil provides services that connect environmental protection with everyday needs.
It stores, filters and transforms water, nutrients and carbon. These functions support agricultural production, climate adaptation and nature conservation. The European Commission also identifies soil sealing–the covering of land with materials such as concrete and asphalt–as a threat to biodiversity and a contributor to flooding and water scarcity.
The consequences extend beyond individual fields or development sites. The European Environment Agency and Joint Research Centre’s State of Soils in Europe report connects soil degradation with pressures on agricultural production, water quality, ecosystem resilience and human health.
That makes soil health relevant to decisions about food supply, water management, infrastructure and the long-term use of land.
How serious is soil degradation in Europe?
The latest evidence continues to show widespread degradation, but the figures need careful interpretation.
A July 2026 Joint Research Centre publication describing the EU Soil Observatory’s Soil Degradation Dashboard reports that approximately 62% of EU soils are degraded, based on 19 soil degradation indicators.
This provides a more specific assessment alongside the Commission’s broader estimate that 60–70% of EU soils are unhealthy. The figures should not be read as evidence of a recent improvement: they come from assessments with their own definitions, indicators and underlying datasets.
A separate study, An integrated assessment of European soil health and restoration potential, combines biological and non-biological indicators with degradation processes. It classifies 62% of European soils as degraded and 31% as being in a moderate state, with 7% in good or high health under its assessment framework.
The distinction matters. Describing all 93% in the first two categories as “degraded” would misrepresent the findings. Likewise, figures covering Europe should not automatically be presented as EU-only statistics.
The practical message is that soil degradation is widespread, while its severity and causes vary between places.
What causes soil degradation?
The Commission identifies several major threats, including erosion, compaction, contamination, salinisation, loss of organic matter, loss of biodiversity and soil sealing.
These pressures can overlap. For example, an assessment may identify both declining organic carbon and erosion risk, rather than a single isolated problem.
Research published in Scientific Reports in December 2025 examined degradation risk using more than 38,000 LUCAS topsoil observations, together with modelling of conditions between 2000 and 2022. Its indicators covered erosion, soil pH, electrical conductivity and organic carbon.
The study found higher degradation risk in southern Europe, particularly in intensively managed and sparsely vegetated landscapes. It also identified rainfed croplands as especially affected by increasing risk.
These are modelled historical patterns. They help identify priorities for investigation, but do not replace assessment of an individual field or site.
What does the EU Soil Monitoring Law change?
The Soil Monitoring Law creates a common framework for understanding soil condition across EU countries. It applies across land uses, including agricultural land, forests and urban areas.
Its main elements include:
- Monitoring soil condition using a common EU methodology.
- Assessing physical, chemical and biological characteristics.
- Improving the management of contaminated sites.
- Addressing soil sealing and soil removal through land-take mitigation principles.
Together, these measures are intended to improve the evidence available for protecting and managing soils.
The legal text sets a 17 December 2028 deadline for national transposition and requires the first soil health assessment by 17 December 2031. Its ambition is healthy soils by 2050, but it does not impose an obligation on Member States to achieve that outcome by that date.
This distinction is important: the law is in force, while national implementation and the monitoring framework are still developing.
How does the law relate to the EU Soil Strategy for 2030?
The EU Soil Strategy for 2030, adopted in November 2021, provides the broader policy framework for protecting and restoring soils and promoting sustainable use. The Soil Monitoring Law is a central development within that framework.
The strategy and the law serve different purposes. The strategy sets policy direction; the directive establishes legal requirements that Member States must implement.
A July 2026 JRC report describes European soil governance as moving from fragmented, sector-specific approaches towards a more integrated framework supported by harmonised monitoring and shared data systems. It also highlights the continuing importance of soil knowledge and practical understanding.
The implication is that collecting data is only part of the task. That information must also help people make better land-management decisions.
What does recent research tell us about future soil risks?
A study published in Communications Sustainability in April 2026 examined future soil vulnerability using climate and land-use projections at 7,433 observation sites across Europe.
Under its high-emissions scenario, approximately 59% of the studied sites could become more vulnerable to degradation during 2071–2100. The researchers also found regional differences, including the possibility of local improvements associated with changes in land use and reduced human pressures.
This is a conditional projection about the studied sites. It does not mean that 59% of European land will necessarily become degraded.
Its relevance today is that soil management needs to consider changing conditions. Decisions based only on historical climate or current land use may overlook future pressures.
How can soil health be improved?
Practical action should begin with the problem affecting the soil. The FAO’s guidance emphasises understanding soil properties, limiting erosion and compaction, maintaining organic matter and balancing nutrient inputs.
Keep soil protected
Crop residues and suitable cover crops can protect exposed soil between commercial crops. FAO guidance identifies benefits including protection against raindrop impact, nutrient recycling and improvements to soil structure.
Species selection and timing matter. Cover crops need to fit the growing system and be managed to avoid unwanted competition with the following crop.
Manage disturbance and compaction
Conservation agriculture combines reduced mechanical disturbance, soil cover and crop diversification. These practices should be considered together when designing a system, rather than treating one change as a complete solution.
Maintain organic matter and balanced nutrients
Management should consider the organic material returned to soil and the nutrients removed through production. FAO guidance also stresses adapting input quantities, application methods and timing to agronomic and environmental requirements.
Use monitoring to guide the next decision
A useful management plan should explain what is being measured and why.
For example, a plan focused on erosion should track evidence relevant to soil loss and protective cover. A plan focused on nutrient balance needs appropriate chemical information. Broad labels such as “sustainable” or “regenerative” are more useful when accompanied by clear objectives and evidence of outcomes.
What should land managers and businesses do now?
A practical starting point is to connect soil information with decisions already being made.
For a farm, that might mean reviewing soil assessments alongside rotations, field operations and nutrient plans. For a landowner or developer, it might mean considering soil condition and land-use history earlier in project planning.
The following questions can help structure that review:
- What information is already available about the soil?
- Which degradation pressures have been identified?
- What further assessment would change a management decision?
- Which intervention addresses the identified problem?
- How will progress be evaluated?
Within the EU, organisations should also follow national implementation of the directive. Its provisions on support for soil health do not themselves impose additional obligations on landowners and land managers, without prejudice to other EU and national law.
The useful next step is to establish an evidence-based starting point for the land being managed, then choose actions that address its specific pressures.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of EU soils are degraded?
A July 2026 JRC publication reports approximately 62%, based on the EU Soil Observatory dashboard’s 19 degradation indicators. This is an assessment of degradation, rather than a measurement newly collected across every EU soil in 2026.
Is the EU Soil Monitoring Law already in force?
Yes. It entered into force on 16 December 2025. National implementation follows the timetable established in the directive.
Is soil health the same as soil fertility?
Fertility concerns the soil’s ability to supply nutrients for plant growth. Soil health is broader, also considering physical structure and biological functioning. FAO guidance treats these characteristics as interconnected parts of productive soil management.
Can cover crops improve soil health?
They can help protect soil, recycle nutrients and support soil structure. Their suitability depends on the crop system and how they are managed, including the timing of termination before competition affects the next crop.
