Towards an European Soil Data Center in Support of the EU Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection

Soil protection has never ranked high among the priorities for environmental protection in Europe. Soils are commonly not well known by the European citizens, particularly since only a small fraction of the European population is currently living in rural areas and having a direct contact with soils. The majority of the urban population in Europe has only little understanding for the features and functions of soils. The most common perception is that soils are good dumping sites for all kinds of wastes and that soil can be quite useful as surfaces for building houses and infrastructure. Having more data and information about soils in Europe can help in improving this situation. The establishment of an European Soil Data Centre by the European Commission in support of the new EU thematic strategy for soil protection can certainly contribute to raising awareness in the general public of the importance of soil protection. Key words: soil protection, EU thematic strategy, European soil data centerJRC.H.7-Land management and natural hazard