Providing support in relation to the implementation of soil and land related Sustainable Development Goals at EU level : final report

Increasing land take, soil sealing and loss of ecosystem functions due to soil and land degradation have been recognised as major environmental and socioeconomic challenges, both in the EU and worldwide. In 2015, the UN put forward the 2030 Agenda, with 17 interdependent Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Many of the SDGs reflect challenges related to land and soil. This report comprises of a review of the state of affairs in the EU related to the implementation of the land and soil related SDGs. Literature reviews, policy mapping, EU wide soil data analysis, combined with national surveys and targeted interviews were carried out. A set of recommendations for related to the way forward to more effective implementation and widespread uptake of sustainable land and soil management addressed to the following four stakeholder groups are given: (i) practitioners and end-users; (ii) scientist; (iii) policymakers and (iv) citizens.