From policy to shared responsibility

Soil Across Sectors and Daily Life

The ecosystem services provided by soil functions extend across societal domains, affecting people and systems directly and indirectly. Soils regulate water flows, support biodiversity, influence climate processes, support the construction of infrastructures, and underpin material and food systems. Through these roles, soil is closely connected to urban development, landscape planning, ecosystem management, industry, education, and consumption.

As a result, responsibility for soil protection is distributed across multiple actors:

• decision-makers
• planners and designers
• land managers
• businesses
• educators
• communities
• citizens

Soil is neither governed within a single sector nor influenced by a single group.