Spatial evaluation and quantification of soil multifunctionality potential and actual state across Europe.

Project Information

SEQoSOIL

Grant agreement ID: 101059012

DOI

10.3030/101059012

Project closed

EC signature date 18 July 2022

Start date 1 April 2023

End date 30 June 2025

Funded under

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 211 754,88

Coordinated by

INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE POUR L'AGRICULTURE, L'ALIMENTATION ET L'ENVIRONNEMENT
France

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SEQoSOIL (Spatial evaluation and quantification of soil multifunctionality potential and actual state across Europe.)

Reporting period: 2023-04-01 to 2025-06-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Healthy soils are essential for sustainable agriculture, climate resilience, water regulation, and biodiversity. However, soils across Europe are under increasing pressure from land use, degradation, and climate change. The SEQoSOIL project (“Spatial evaluation and quantification of soil multifunctionality potential and actual state across Europe”) aimed to assess how European soils perform across five key functions: primary productivity, water purification and regulation, carbon storage and climate regulation, nutrient cycling, and provision of habitat for biodiversity.

A major challenge in soil science is that these functions are hard to quantify and even harder to map across large areas. Yet this information is critical for effective policymaking, especially in light of the EU Green Deal, the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030, and the proposed Directive on Soil Monitoring and Resilience. SEQoSOIL aimed to fill this gap by quantifying and mapping soil functions in agricultural landscapes across Europe using publicly available datasets and geospatial modelling techniques.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The project was structured into seven work packages. The work began with the compilation of large-scale datasets from existing European monitoring programs, including LUCAS soil data and data from the BENCHMARK project. Environmental, climatic, and land-use variables were collected and harmonized across the EU to ensure a consistent basis for modelling.

Using Decision Expert (DEX) models, the project quantified soil functions at over 22,000 locations in the LUCAS database. These models were adapted from earlier farm-scale approaches to function at a European scale and were validated with expert input. The models enabled the calculation of multifunctionality indices and an assessment of trade-offs and synergies among soil functions. For instance, the project found that certain land uses promote multiple soil functions simultaneously, while others create trade-offs that limit overall soil health.

The model outputs were used to produce spatial maps of soil functions, highlighting regional hotspots and “function bundles” that share similar patterns. The results showed that soil multifunctionality varies considerably across Europe and is closely linked to land-use intensity. These findings have been compiled into a series of peer-reviewed manuscripts currently under review.

Despite institutional and administrative challenges encountered during the fellowship, the researcher successfully completed all core scientific objectives and contributed new methods, datasets, and insights to the field of soil science.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

SEQoSOIL represents one of the first efforts to provide pan-European maps of multiple soil functions based on harmonized, field-verified data and spatial modelling. While previous studies often focused on single functions or used theoretical models, this project delivers actionable outputs that link soil function delivery with land management practices and environmental variables. These insights are directly relevant for supporting future EU soil health policies and targeted interventions at both local and regional levels.

Key innovations are:

Large-scale application of DEX models for multi-function assessment.

Quantification of synergies and trade-offs between soil functions using co-occurrence networks.

Generation of multifunctionality indices and function “hotspots” across NUTS3 regions.

Integration of over 30 public datasets to model and map soil services with high spatial resolution.

The results support future research and decision-making for sustainable land use, environmental planning, and climate adaptation strategies. However, to fully realize the impact, further uptake is needed. This includes incorporation of soil function maps into EU monitoring frameworks, adaptation of the tools for forest soils (currently limited by data availability), and the development of user-friendly platforms for farmers, policymakers, and stakeholders.

Although the project faced internal barriers at the host institution, its scientific output holds strong potential to support EU market needs in soil diagnostics, monitoring tools, and environmental policy. The results provide a solid foundation for commercial and regulatory initiatives in the growing field of soil health management.