Understanding land-use change (LUC) and its influence on landscape structure is necessary for sustainable watershed management. This study integrates a novel multi-temporal remote sensing and landscape metrics (LM) based approach to investigate long-term LUC dynamics and their geomorphic implications in the Cham Gardalan watershed, western Iran, from 1990 to 2023. Fragstat 4.2 was employed to derive structural and functional LM across five land-use classes (forest, rangeland, orchard, barren land, water bodies). Landsat imagery was processed through Google Earth Engine to generate consistent land-use classifications. Significant forest loss (from 118.14 km2 to 79.41 km2) and expansion of barren land (388.54 km2) indicate intensified degradation and increased soil erosion risks. Temporal trends in patch density, edge density, and contagion metrics indicate increasing fragmentation and reduced ecological connectivity through 2010, followed by partial recovery linked to conservation and reforestation efforts. Correlation analysis among LM further highlights that forests exhibit the highest spatial contrast with barren areas, orchards, and water (negative correlations ranging from-0.76 to-0.98) and a positive correlation with pastures (0.68-0.89), verifying the detrimental impacts of human activities on sediment control and landscape cohesiveness in the region. Integrating LM with multi-temporal satellite data provides a replicable, quantitative framework for assessing the spatial evolution of watershed degradation. By analyzing structural changes induced by LUC, this study aims to better understand landscape dynamics in semi-arid environments. The framework introduced can be adapted to other geomorphologically vulnerable regions to support soil conservation and sustainable land-use planning.

The Soil Innovation Partnership (SIP) builds on the legacy of the EJP SOIL to unite science, policy, business, and farming communities in accelerating the transition to climate-resilient, carbon smart agricultural soil management (across Europe).SIPs mission is to move soil science into practice - by demonstrating the role of healthy soils in carbon storage, climate mitigation and adaptation, water management, sustainable food systems and food security. Through a growing public-private-philanthropic partnership, SIP connects research, on-farm validation, and finance to turn knowledge into investment-ready soil solutions.During its 2025-2026 scoping phase SIP focuses on:Co-designing actionable knowledge application pathways with farmers and fundersValidating soil-carbon practices and innovations in the fieldScaling through models that reward soil health and carbon storage outcomesThis presentation highlights how SIP connects research, innovation communities, practitioners and funders by complementing the EU Soil Mission’s ambition for healthy soils by 2050.Through collaboration across disciplines and sectors, the Partnership will turn Europe’s soil knowledge into real world impact —strengthening soil functions, enhancing carbon sequestration and building climate resilience.

Soil health is a key concept in worldwide efforts to reverse soil degradation, but to be used as a tool to improve soils, it must be definable at a policy level and quantifiable in some way. Soil indicators can be used to define soil health and quantify the degree to which soils fulfil expected functions. Indicators are assessed using target and/or threshold values, which define achievable levels of the indicators or associated soil functions. However, defining robust targets and thresholds is not a trivial task, as they should account for differences in soil type, climate, land-use, management, and history, among other factors. We assessed (through theory and stakeholder feedback) four approaches to setting targets and thresholds: fixed values based on research, fixed proportions of natural reference values, values based on the existing range (e.g. lower quartile of the observed distribution), and targets based on relative change (e.g. a 20% increase of the indicator’s value). Three approaches (not including relative change) were then further explored using case study examples from Denmark, Italy, and France, which highlighted key strengths and weaknesses of each approach. Here, we present a selection of the assessment and case study results, as well as a framework, which facilitates both choosing the most appropriate target/threshold method for a given context, and using targets/thresholds to trigger follow-up actions to promote soil health.

Soil erosion and non-point source pollution are critical global environmental issues, with profound implications for ecosystems, agricultural productivity, and water quality. These problems are especially exacerbated in regions subjected to intense rainfall, where their impacts can be particularly severe. In China, the suburban areas of Beijing have experienced considerable challenges associated with both soil erosion and non-point source pollution. Under different rainfall types, the impact mechanisms of rainfall, vegetation, and land preparation on soil erosion and non-point source pollution are highly complex and have not yet been fully understood. This study is based on soil erosion (runoff, sediment yield) and non-point source pollution (TN, Total nitrogen; TP, Total phosphorus; COD, Chemical Oxygen Demand) data from 130 erosive rainfall events (Classified as light, moderate, heavy and extreme rainfall based on 24-h precipitation) across 16 runoff plots from 2010 to 2023. The runoff plots consist of different vegetation and land preparation measures. The characteristics of soil erosion and non-point source pollution under four different rainfall types and different soil conservation measures were compared. Additionally, the impacts of rainfall, vegetation, and land preparation on soil erosion and non-point source pollution under different rainfall types were explored. The results indicate that the frequency of extreme rainfall events accounts for only 16.9 % of erosive rainfall, yet the runoff, sediment yield, TN, TP, and COD they generate account for 40.7 %, 35.0 %, 37.9 %, 33.4 %, and 41.9 % of the total, respectively. Vegetation and land preparation measures have a significant effect on reducing runoff, sediment yield, TN, TP, and COD. The primary factor influencing runoff, TN, TP, and COD was maximum 30-min rainfall intensity (I30), with correlation coefficients of 0.33, 0.20, 0.30, and 0.28, respectively (p < 0.01). As rainfall intensity increases, the contribution of vegetation to soil erosion and non-point source pollution increases from 0.7 % under light rainfall to 41.1 % under extreme rainfall. The combined effect of vegetation and land preparation increases from 1.7 % to 14.4 % under extreme rainfall. Under the same rainfall conditions, the contribution of vegetation and land preparation to soil erosion is significantly higher than that to non-point source pollution. The study identifies the mechanisms by which rainfall, vegetation, and land preparation influence soil erosion and non-point source pollution under varying rainfall conditions. These findings offer valuable insights for soil conservation and non-point source pollution management, particularly in areas experiencing extreme rainfall events.

In the past two decades, connectivity has emerged as a relevant conceptual framework for understanding the transfer of water and sediment through landscapes. In geomorphology, the concept has had particular success in the fields of fluvial geomorphology and soil erosion to better explain rates and patterns of geomorphic change in catchment systems. Sediment (dis)connectivity in geomorphic systems is generally governed by the spatial arrangement of sediment sources, transfer pathways and sinks (i.e. the structural component) as well as the interactions between landscape compartments and the frequency-magnitude relationships that dictate the relative effectiveness of geomorphic processes (i.e. the structural component; Poeppl et al., 2020). This presentation will provide a short general overview on existing concepts of connectivity in geomorphology, further highlighting and discussing recent developments in geomorphological connectivity research. References Ronald E. Poeppl, Kirstie A. Fryirs, Jon Tunnicliffe, Gary J. Brierley (2020). Managing sediment (dis)connectivity in fluvial systems, Science of The Total Environment, Volume 736, 139627

It is crucial for understanding the variations of carbon and nutrient pools within the ecosystems during long-term vegetation restoration to accurately assess the effects of different ecological restoration patterns. However, the long-term spatio-temporal variations of carbon and nutrient pools under different vegetation types remain unclear. The sites for long-term natural and planted forests (i.e., Natural secondary forest, Pinus tabulaeformis planted forest, Platycladus orientalis planted forest, and Robinia pseudoacacia planted forest) on the northeastern Loess Plateau, China were selected, to measure and analyze the differences and interannual variations of vegetation attributes at four synusiae and soil properties at 0-100 cm over the period of 12 years (2006-2017). The principal component analysis (PCA) and Mantel test were also conducted to explore the relationships among vegetation attributes, soil properties, and carbon and nutrient pools. The results showed that: compared with the planted forests, the natural secondary forest had lower arborous biomass (84.21 +/- 1.53 t hm-2) and higher understory biomass and plant heights. Compared to planted forests, the secondary forest had higher soil carbon and nitrogen contents (13.74 +/- 3.50 g kg-1 and 1.16 +/- 0.34 g kg-1). The soil carbon pool in the secondary forest was 22.0% higher than planted forests, while the vegetation carbon pool in the P. tabulaeformis was 75.5% higher than other forests. Principal component analysis (PCA) and Mantel test revealed that vegetation attributes and soil properties had significant correlations with carbon and nutrient pools, especially at the arborous synusia (p < 0.01). The findings indicated that in the ecologically fragile Loess Plateau region, the selection of appropriate vegetation restoration types should be guided by varying ecological restoration goals and benefits, aiming to expected ecological outcomes. This insight offers a strategic implication for forest management that is tailored to improve carbon and nutrient pools in areas with similar environmental conditions.

Many aspects regarding the reduction of soil erosion and the effectiveness of nature-based solutions, such as catch crops and their spatial distribution, still remain unknown. To address these questions, in this study, we utilized a combination of the Improved Stock Unearthing Method (ISUM), surveys of biomass and vine vigor, and soil profile characterization in a Mediterranean vineyard located in the unexplored viticultural region of Valle de Lec & nacute;n (Granada, Spain). Our findings revealed that the use of catch crops after cutting the vines did not lead to significant changes in soil properties along the profile, including organic matter, aggregate stability, and nutrient content, but there were positive results in reducing soil surface lowering in specific areas. These positive outcomes also correlated with the highest levels of vine vigor, measured by assessing the vine's perimeter at three different heights. ISUM, utilizing the graft union as a passive bioindicator to assess surface lowering predominantly caused by soil erosion rates and surface changes, showed a sedimentation rate of 17.88 t ha-1yr-1. -1 yr -1 . Under the vine these rates reached a total of 13.73 t ha-1yr-1 -1 yr -1 and along the rest of the inter-row area much lower values (4.16 t ha-1yr-1). -1 yr -1 ). We identified areas that are at risk along the inter-rows, assessed the effectiveness of erosion control measures (how much and where should be used), and gave some suggestions to take steps forwards to protect soil health and productivity.

Vegetation restoration plays a crucial role in conserving soil and water, as well as rehabilitating ecosystems, by enhancing soil properties and vegetation attributes. The evaluation of the ecological consequences among different vegetation restoration types can be achieved by clarifying the impacts on carbon, water and nutrient storages. In this study, we selected four typical vegetation restoration types (Pinus tabuliformis forest (PTF), Platycladus orientalis forest (POF) and Robinia pseudoacacia forest (RPF) as typical planted forests, and the natural secondary forest (NSF) as the control treatment) in the eastern Loess Plateau of China. The soil properties (at 0–200 cm depth) and vegetation attributes (including arborous, shrubs and herbaceous plants) were measured, as well as calculated soil carbon, water and nutrient storages, with a total of 1600 soil samples and 180 vegetation survey plots. The partial redundancy analysis (pRDA) and correlation analysis were also used to analyze the contributions and relationships among environmental factors, soil eco-hydrology and nutrient supplement services in different forestry ecosystems. The results indicate the following: (1) NSF has the lowest soil bulk density (1.21 ± 0.184 g·cm−3). Soil properties varied significantly at vertical scales, and had obvious surface accumulation. (2) Soil moisture storages were better in natural forests than those in planted forests, with more drastic changes in soil moisture dynamics. (3) The soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus storages significantly differed among four vegetation types, with the highest carbon storages in PTF (207.75 ± 0.674 t·ha−1), the highest nitrogen storages in POF (5.54 t·ha−1), and the highest phosphorus storages in RPF (4.33 t·ha−1), respectively. (4) Soil carbon storages depend primarily on the coupling effect of soil properties and precipitation, while nutrient storage is mainly influenced by soil properties. The results quantify the significant differences in soil water, carbon, and nutrient storage across various vegetation restoration types, and reveal the individual and combined contributions of environmental factors, providing new insights into the mechanisms driving these differences. These findings offer practical guidance for the sustainable management of forest ecosystems and the optimization of ecological restoration strategies on the Loess Plateau.

AbstractFIRElinks (CA18135) originated from many efforts by a group of researchers after submitting a proposal for a COST Action. During four years, the main aim has been to develop an EU-spanning network of scientists and practitioners involved in forest fire research and land management with backgrounds such as fire dynamics, fire risk management, fire effects on vegetation, fauna, soil and water, and socioeconomic, historical, geographical, political perception, and land management approaches. Communities from different scientific and geographic backgrounds allowing the discussion of different experiences and the emergence of new approaches to fire research were connected. Working group number 5 was developed to power synergistic collaborations between European research groups and stakeholders to synthesize the existing knowledge and expertise and to define a concerted research agenda which promotes an integrated approach to create fire-resilient landscapes from a regional and socioeconomic point of view, taking into account how to teach the population, stakeholders, and policymakers considering the biological, biochemical, and physical, but also socioeconomic, historical, geographical, sociological, perception, and policy constraints. In this edited book, the main conclusion of working group 5 was addressed considering different study cases and methods developed by recognized experts over Europe: there is an urgent societal need to manage wildfires due to the expected further intensification and geographical spreading of its regimes under global change.

Soil plays a central role in most aspects of human societies, and there is a large body of literature about sustainable soil management. Nevertheless, soil is currently facing degradation arising from different threats, which undermines sustainable development globally. In order to design effective research and policy strategies, it is necessary to identify the current knowledge level about sustainable soil management. This study summarises the key findings from a systematic stocktake of available knowledge about agricultural soil management practices in 23 European countries, which included the identification of soil management practices in use, the associated impacts and the soil challenges addressed. The aim of the study was to understand the current state of knowledge about the impacts of soil management practices, investigated and/or implemented across Europe. The results were analysed at the European level and were also grouped into European Regions and Environmental Zones. Key findings from this study were the identification of knowledge gaps that are key to climate mitigation and adaptation. There is a knowledge gap about soil management practices to avoid greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural soils, as the few reported studies evidence the complexity of the processes governing these emissions. Further knowledge is needed on the impact of tillage practices on long-term carbon storage and distribution along the soil profile, as the reported knowledge was not consensual about carbon storage in deeper soil layers.

Vineyards in Europe has been fundamental for food, drink and cosmetic production, and job creation; however, in recent decades due to increased cultivation intensity, numerous negative consequences, including erosion, have been observed. Erodibility or susceptibility to erosion is a little-studied parameter in vineyards but is crucial for analyzing the vulnerability of this crop. Therefore, in this research, a small portable rainfall simulator was used as a useful tool for assessing erodibility, combined with other methods such as soil analyses or infiltration measurements in a semi-arid vineyard located in the Granada province (Spain) considering 20 different hotspots at diverse hillslope positions along the inter-rows and close to the traffic roads. The experiments were conducted in spring 2022 under dry soil conditions. Our results display susceptibility to erosion, particularly on steeper parts such as the shoulder and backslopes. In these areas, runoff gained momentum, carrying a significant sediment load, diminishing the effectiveness of stone cover, and occasionally leading to its removal, especially near the roads. Nevertheless, it is observed that increased roughness plays a mitigating role by slowing down runoff. Using linear correlation analysis and Spearman rank coefficient, we observed this effect is linked to factors such as stoniness, vegetation, and moderate tillage. Conversely, in the flatter zones, primarily in lower areas, reduced runoff and delayed onset are primarily influenced by factors such as roughness, type of cover, material composition, and organic matter content. We concluded that this study case can demonstrate that erodibility in vineyards can shed light as an extra parameter to inform farmers, rural inhabitants, and policymakers about the extreme problem of the vulnerable soils of vineyards.

Soils are the foundation of agricultural production, ecosystem functioning and human well-being. Bridging soil knowledge gaps and improving the knowledge system is crucial to meet the growing EU soil policy ambitions in the face of climate change and the ongoing trend in soil degradation. The objective of this article is to assess the current state of knowledge, knowledge use and knowledge gaps concerning sustainable soil management in Europe. This study is based on interviews with 791 stakeholders and 254 researchers and on a comprehensive review of >1800 documents carried out under the European Joint Programme on agricultural soils. Despite differences in stakeholder groups, the conclusions are rather consistent and complementary. We identified major knowledge gaps with respect to (1) soil carbon stocks, (2) soil degradation and fertility and (3) strategies for improved soil management. Transcending these three areas, particularly the loss of soil organic carbon, peatland degradation and soil compaction, are most critical, thus, we stress the urgency of developing more models and monitoring programmes on soils. Stakeholders further report that insufficient transfer of existing soil research findings to practitioners is a hindrance to the adoption of sustainable soil management practices. In addition to knowledge production, soil knowledge gaps may be addressed by considering seven recommendations from the stakeholders: (1) raising awareness, (2) strengthening knowledge brokers, (3) improving relevance of research activities and resource allocation for land users, (4) peer-to-peer communication, (5) targeting advice and information, (6) improving knowledge access, and (7) providing incentives. We argue that filling and bridging knowledge gaps should be a priority for policymakers and the insights provided in the article may help prioritise research and dissemination needs enabling a transition to more sustainable soil management in Europe.

Soil health is a key concept in worldwide efforts to reverse soil degradation, but to be used as a tool to improve soils, it must be definable at a policy level and quantifiable in some way. Soil indicators can be used to define soil health and quantify the degree to which soils fulfil expected functions. Indicators are assessed using target and/or threshold values, which define achievable levels of the indicators or functions. However, defining robust targets and thresholds is not a trivial task, as they should account for soil, climate, land-use, management, and history, among others. This paper introduces and discusses (through theory and stakeholder feedback) four approaches to setting targets and thresholds: fixed, reference, distribution and relative change. Three approaches (not including relative change) are then illustrated using a case study, located in Denmark, Italy, and France, which highlights key strengths and weaknesses of each approach. Finally, a framework is presented that facilitates both choosing the most appropriate target/threshold method for a given context, and using targets/thresholds to trigger follow-up actions to promote soil health.

Current soil- and land degradation seriously challenge our societies; it contributes to climate change, loss of biodiversity and loss of agricultural productions. Yet, soils are also seen as a major part of the solution, if maintained or restored to provide ecosystem services. Climate-smart sustainable management of soils can provide options for soil health maintenance and restoration. In the European Union, the resource management and sustainability challenge are addressed in the Green Deal that, among other goals, aspires towards a healthy climate-resilient agricultural sector that will produce sufficient products without damaging ecosystems and contribute to better biodiversity and mitigate climate change. The European Joint Programme (EJP) SOIL was set up to contribute to these goals by developing knowledge, tools and an integrated research community to foster climate-smart sustainable agricultural soil management that provides a diversity of ecosystem service, such as adapting to and mitigating climate change, allowing sustainable food production, and sustaining soil biodiversity. This paper provides an overview of the potential of climate-smart sustainable soil management research to the targets of the Green Deal that are related to soils most directly. The EJP SOIL EU-wide consultation (interviews and questionnaires) and literature analysis (national and international reports and papers) done in the first year (2020-2021) generated a wealth of data. This data showed that there are specific manners to do research that are essential for it to be effective and efficient and that can actively contribute to the Green Deal targets. We concluded that research needs to be: (i) interdisciplinary, (ii) long-term, (iii) multi-scaled, from plot to landscape, (iv) evaluating trade-offs of selected management options for ecosystem services and (v) co-constructed with key stakeholders. Research on climate-smart sustainable soil management should be developed (1) on plot scale when mobilizing soil processes and on landscape scale when addressing sediment and water connectivity and biodiversity management; and (2) address the enabling conditions through good governance, social acceptance and viable economic conditions. A guideline to European agricultural soil management: three layers for sustainable soil management: the biosphere: healthy soils and (bio)diverse landscapes (green bar); solutions: based on functioning of the natural system (yellow bar); enabling conditions: finding the social and economic enable conditions (blue bar).image

This chapter explains the importance of sediment transporting and spatial analysis of sediment connectivity. It provides valuable information and knowledge about the concept of sediment connectivity and its measuring and assessment approaches. The index of connectivity (IC) is a tool to estimate the pattern of sediment connectivity. Different practical applications of the IC in a wide range of disciplines and contexts, for example, flood, landslide, land use change, sediment yield, wildfire, road construction, and efficiency of check dams, were discussed. Considering the capability of the IC, it was suggested to be used in scenario-based management in different spatial scales from hillslopes to watersheds.