3.4 — Soil sealing
What are the drivers for soil sealing?
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How is soil sealing and land take measured?
Because soil sealing is a major threat to soil functions across Europe, it needs to be measured and monitored over time. This allows scientists and policymakers to understand trends, compare regions, and develop strategies to reduce negative impacts. Such strategies include identifying mitigation measures and designing new policies aiming at soil protection.
Different indicators are used depending on the objective of the monitoring effort, for example:
How much of an area/region is sealed?
Where is soil sealing happening most?
How fast is land being sealed? (soil sealing index)
How much land is sealed per capita?
Is there any change in an area’s impermeability?
Comprehensive, detailed, and harmonized data on land cover and land use are required in order to apply indicators for quantifying land take and soil sealing.