The State of Scotland’s Soil. Natural Scotland
Read the full reportScotland’s soils, holding around 3,000 million tonnes of carbon primarily in peatlands, face significant threats from climate change, land use changes, and poor soil management practices. The report highlights the critical importance of maintaining soil organic matter for carbon storage and biodiversity, urging integrated policy approaches and sustainable management practices to combat soil degradation and enhance carbon sequestration.
Scotland’s soils are significant for carbon storage, holding around 3,000 million tonnes of carbon, primarily in peatlands.
The report identifies key pressures affecting soil health, including climate change, land use changes, and soil management practices. The report suggests that the principal threats to soil functions are loss of soil organic matter, changes in soil biodiversity, and erosion and landslides. Soil sealing was also ranked as an important threat. This reflects the importance of soil organic matter, and the associated role soil biodiversity plays, in storing carbon as well as underpinning the majority of soil functions and wider ecosystem services.
The importance of maintaining soil organic matter is emphasised due to its role in storing carbon, supporting biodiversity, and regulating water and nutrient cycles.
The report includes comprehensive data and case studies demonstrating the benefits of sustainable soil management practices on improving soil health and carbon sequestration.
Evidence from soil monitoring and research highlights the need for integrated policy approaches to address soil degradation and enhance soil carbon storage.
Recommendations for policy implementation
- Enhance soil monitoring programs to better track changes in soil health and carbon storage.
- Policy integration: understanding the role of soil in existing policy and developing recommendations for future soil policy to ensure soil is sufficiently protected;
- Implement soil conservation practices to reduce soil erosion, compaction, and contamination.
- Promote sustainable land management practices, including reduced tillage, organic matter addition, and peatland restoration.