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The overall aim of ECHO is to engage EU citizens in soil health, increasing their knowledge by generating new data on the health status of EU soils to complement existing soil mapping and soil monitoring in EU Member States and awareness of the ecological and societal importance of soils. ECHO is based on three main principles: to engage citizens by motivating them to protect and restore soils, to empower citizens by providing knowledge and an active role in data collection, and to enable citizens to directly participate in decision-making on soil issues. ECHO will achieve this through co-creation with target societal groups as a cornerstone of delivering a step change in increased soil literacy in society.

LOESS will map, connect and engage with multiple actors in Communities of Practice (CoPs) to provide an overview of the current level of soil related knowledge in different educational levels and develop teaching programmes and materials including an Atlas of Soil Education. LOESS will explore educational needs amongst school pupils (primary and secondary levels), students (tertiary level) and young professionals, and society across the European Union and Horizon Europe Associated Countries. LOESS will investigate why existing material is not used to a greater extent and co-create courses and modules for soil education, including virtual reality/augmented reality applications. 

The EU-funded MRV4SOC project aims to develop an inclusive, robust, transparent, and cost-effective approach to assess GHG emissions, estimate full carbon budgets, measure the accumulation of SOC, and evaluate the outcomes of conventional management practices and carbon farming. The project’s primary objective is to monitor changes in SOC accumulation within the context of both climate change and socio-economic pressures. Additionally, it seeks to standardise monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) schemes for the EU land sector. Ultimately, the project aims to establish a methodological MRV framework that increases the faith of stakeholders in voluntary carbon markets.

The EU-funded ARAGORN project offers a comprehensive framework to identify options to reduce risks, and an ability to not only remediate but also restore the health of soils, ecosystems, and their resilience. Specifically, the project will build on existing experiences and introduce mapping, sampling, and monitoring tools. Moreover, it will test remediation technologies and restoration practices fit for each site and contaminants present, taking into account local financial, spatial, and cultural boundaries. Through co-creation processes, ARAGORN will provide options to private and public decision-makers on how best to deal with contaminated soils.

The EU-funded ISLANDR project will work towards reducing soil pollution and enhancing restoration. The project will identify the sources of soil pollution, assess environmental and health risks, implement sustainable risk management, and provide a valuation approach in financial and investment cases. ISLANDR will integrate land contamination and spatial planning decision-making processes with the Soil Strategy policy of the EU. Additionally, it will encompass the proposed soil health law and other policy areas where soil plays a crucial role. The seven test areas of ISLANDR will serve as example sites representing different types of contamination across Europe.