Lignite mines Kerpen, Germany (Rhein-Erft district) in the heart of the Rhenish lignite mining area.
The European Soil Partnership
The European Soil Partnership is part of a global network of eight regional soil partnerships, the Global Soil Partnership (see FAO). This network has been founded as a multi-lateral initiative by FAO member countries and many other governmental and non-governmental institutions. Subregional and national partnerships enable close links with stakeholders including land managers and the public. The ESP sees itself as an umbrella network for various European initiatives and actions, at the level of regions, countries, EU and its neighbours, and it advocates for their visibility and contributions in the global soil protection movement.
Become a member
The European Soil Partnership is a voluntary partnership, open to governments, regional organizations, institutions and other stakeholders at various levels. It is mandatory that your organization becomes first member of the Global Soil Partnership. You will then be automatically a member of the ESP. More
Join the ESP-Contact-List
With our contact list, we inform members and any other interested party about ESP activities.
If you want to join the contact list, please get in touch with the secretariat.
The 12th Plenary Meeting of the European Soil Partnership is taking place on 6 and 7 March 2025 at the FAO Headquarters in Rome and Online. To register for participation please contact the ESP Secretariat.
The new INTERREG project focuses on the vulnerability of mountain soils in relation to climate change and the consequence of mountain uses in this context.
Training Course on Soil Sampling and Classification | 25.-27. September 2024
This workshop teaches the practical application of a soil sampling design and soil classification with a focus on carbon stock calculation for greenhouse gas reporting. The course will take place near Eberswalde (60 km from Berlin), Germany.
The 11th plenary meeting of the ESP took place online from 28 - 29 May 2024. The meeting was opened by a brief summary of recent activities in the ESP region. The main topic was focussing on the agenda and background documents of the GSP Plenary Assembly.
The ESP Chair, the ITPS, and the JRC are leading the preparation of the European chapter of the second edition of the Status of the World's Soil Resources report, to be published in 2025.
The EUROSOIL is an official meeting of the European Confederation of Soil Science Societies (ECSSS) that offers an opportunity for knowledge transfer, workshops and presentations and is held every four years. This year the conference is taking place in Seville, Spain.
The World Soil Day is annually held on December 5 and aims at bringing attention and advocating for healthy soils and sustainable management of soil resources.