Unearthing soil ecological observations: see supporting information as supplementary material

In the past, multiple initiatives have been initiated (Maestre & Eisenhauer 2019), but none of those has established itself as a concrete and sustainable global monitoring effort of soils. This requires connecting partners representing a range of stakeholders, including researchers, educators, and policy advisors from academic, governmental, and private sectors. To create the building blocks for the establishment of such a monitoring system for soil biodiversity and ecosystem functions, the Global Soil Biodiversity Observation Network (SoilBON: https://www.globalsoilbiodiversity.org/soilbon) was established in 2018 as a thematic network of GEO BON in partnership with the Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative (GSBI) and other global and regional partners (Guerra et al. 2021a). The goal is to further connect multinational partners and initiatives in a coordinated worldwide effort to understand soil biodiversity, document how it is changing, how these changes affect ecosystems and people who rely on soil-living resources for their well-being and livelihoods, and how the sustainable use of ecosystems can safeguard soil biodiversity.