This latest Society for the Environment (SocEnv) report also outlines our calls to action for the next three years.
Since 2019, the SocEnv Soils and Stones project has brought together experts from across a diverse range of sectors related to soil health and soil reuse, to share good practice, support and influence policymakers and foster collaboration. Our volunteers are united by a clear vision: to inspire policy makers to remove barriers and to provide incentives for our profession to realise the optimum value of soils and stones.
Our initial Soils and Soils report (2021) proved influential, gaining support from UK Soils and eleven professional bodies including the British Society of Soil Science (BSSS). The project has been working to deliver the report’s recommendations over the last few years, including producing an overarching Soils and Stones framework, “The Ten Principles of Good Soils and Stones Management” and feeding into the recommendations of the 2023 Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRA) Soil Health Inquiry.
Today (3 June 2024), we are delighted to share a full progress update. Produced three years on from our initial, influential report, this new publication provides an honest assessment of progress achieved so far against the 2021 recommendations and provides a focus for our efforts over the next three years. The report will be highlighted at SocEnv’s flagship event tomorrow (4 June), as part of a panel discussion on this year’s aligned World Environment Day theme of land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience.
Read the reportOur first triennial progress report not only celebrates the strides made since 2021, but shines a spotlight on the breadth of action still needed to protect for the health and quality of our soils. We are stronger together, sharing good practice and collaborating on technical and practical policy matters, drawing upon experience across all land use sectors. We now have a stronger voice for soils ecology, health, and quality standards. I look forward to continuing to work with SocEnv’s extensive network of environmental professionals and professional body partners to make further strides with a louder voice by 2027.
Martin Ballard CEnv
Soils and Stones project lead and Group Head of Environment at Wates
Left image – photo, bottom right: taken by Jane Gilbert CEnv
Soils and Stones | 2021 SocEnv Report
World Soils Day 2023 article: salinisation contamination of agricultural land
SocEnv Response to MP inquiry into soil health
