Scientific definition:
Soil health is the ability of a soil, at a specified point in time, to function as a vital living system, within natural or managed ecosystem boundaries and land-use boundaries, to sustain plant and animal productivity and health, maintain or enhance water and air quality and to further provide ecosystem services in the long-term without (increased) trade-offs between ecosystem services.
van den Elsen, E. et al. (2022) A framework to assess soil threats, soil functions and soil-based ecosystem services. EJP Soil – SERENA D2.1.
Political definition:
The physical, chemical and biological condition of the soil determining its capacity to function as a vital living system and to provide ecosystem services
European Commission (2023) Proposal for a Directive on Soil Monitoring and Resilience. Available at: https://environment.ec.europa.eu/publications/proposal-directive-soil-monitoring-and-resilience_en.
Stakeholder definition:
To be added, based on the upcoming workshops.
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