Healthy Soils, Healthy Planet: Advancing Soil Science for Protection and Sustainability

About this Research Topic

Background

Soils are fundamental to terrestrial ecosystems and human well-being, supporting food production, climate regulation, water filtration, and biodiversity. Despite their central role, soils across Europe are increasingly threatened by erosion, contamination, sealing, biodiversity loss, and the depletion of organic matter. The intensification of agriculture, land-use change, and poor waste management practices have further accelerated soil degradation. Climate change adds a new layer of stress, exacerbating existing vulnerabilities and reducing the resilience of soil systems. In recognition of this crisis, the European Union has launched ambitious strategies, including the EU Soil Strategy for 2030 and the Soil Health Mission, to protect all soils and ensure they are healthy by mid-century. These initiatives call for innovative, cross-disciplinary solutions to improve soil monitoring, promote biodiversity, and implement circular, regenerative approaches. Scientific research is thus urgently needed to provide the evidence base and tools for achieving these objectives across different landscapes and soil types.

The goal of this Research Topic is to promote innovative and interdisciplinary research that advances the protection, restoration, and sustainable management of soils. We aim to highlight solutions that address the degradation of soil functions and support their long-term resilience in the context of climate change, land-use intensification, and biodiversity loss. Special emphasis will be given to practices that integrate circular economy principles—such as the valorization of organic and inorganic residues for soil amendment—and regenerative agriculture techniques that enhance both productivity and ecological integrity.

This collection also seeks to shed light on the role of soil biodiversity as a key driver of ecosystem services, and on the importance of monitoring tools and indicators to assess soil health at multiple scales. We encourage contributions that provide actionable knowledge for policymakers, land managers, and other stakeholders, aligning scientific progress with the objectives of major European initiatives such as the EU Green Deal and the Soil Health Mission. Ultimately, the Research Topic aims to serve as a platform for collaboration, knowledge exchange, and evidence-based innovation to ensure that soils remain productive, diverse, and resilient into the future.

We welcome high-quality contributions across a broad range of topics, including but not limited to:

• Soil protection and ecological restoration strategies

• Integration of circular economy principles in land and soil management

• Soil biodiversity and microbiome dynamics under stress and restoration scenarios

• Nature-based and biodiversity-informed solutions for soil resilience

• Indicators and functions of soil biodiversity in agroecosystems, forests, and natural systems

• Soil monitoring frameworks, digital tools, and early-warning systems

• Organic and inorganic waste valorization for soil fertility, structure, and carbon stabilization

• Regenerative and climate-smart agriculture practices integrating biodiversity conservation

• Soil governance, policy analysis, and multi-actor or citizen science approaches

• Soil management in urban, peri-urban, and post-industrial landscapes

• The role of soils in renewable energy transitions and carbon neutrality

Manuscripts may include Original research, Systematic reviews, Meta-analyses, Perspectives, and Case Studies. Interdisciplinary approaches and submissions linking science to policy, land stewardship, and practical applications are particularly encouraged.

This Research Topic is an initiative linked to EUROSOIL 2025.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Soil health, circular agriculture, soil biodiversity, sustainable land management, soil protection, waste valorization, ecosystem services, EU Green Deal, soil monitoring, regenerative agriculture

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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