People who make soil visible

People who make soil visible

Soil protection is shaped by actors who work within and around formal systems. Public authorities, municipalities, planners, land managers, scientists, advisors, businesses, and civil society organisations all influence how soil is used, protected, restored, or made visible.

Some actors have formal authority. Municipalities may influence land-use planning, green spaces, construction permits, and local restoration priorities. Public authorities may implement environmental regulations, monitoring systems, or agricultural programmes. Professionals such as planners, engineers, architects, farmers, foresters, and environmental consultants influence soil through design and management choices. Businesses also shape soil outcomes through production systems, supply chains, material sourcing, and land-use decisions.

© Pesticides protest in Brussels, 18 Sept 2023, by Ekō, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr, no changes were made to the original photo.

Organised civil society can help keep soil visible in public debate and policy discussions. Across Europe, non-governmental organisations connect soil protection with climate, biodiversity, food systems, land use, pesticide reduction, and public accountability. For example, the European Environmental Bureau has advocated for stronger EU soil protection frameworks, Friends of the Earth Europe addresses soil degradation within campaigns on land use and biodiversity, and PAN Europe (Pesticide Action Network Europe) draws attention to the effects of pesticide dependency on soil biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.

These actors show that soil protection is not only a technical or scientific issue. It is also connected to planning, advocacy, production, public accountability, and societal choice.