The ESA Symposium on Earth Observation for Soil Protection and Restoration took place in Frascati, Italy, on 6–7 March. The two-day symposium gathered experts from EEA, FAO, ISRIC, UNCCD, JRC, and leading universities to discuss the usability of Earth Observation (EO) for soil protection and restoration; evaluate the WORLDSOILS Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) Monitoring System; explore contributions to Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) and reporting on SDG indicator 15.3.1; and showcase the capability of satellite remote sensing to monitor and verify specific soil components.
GEO-LDN’s Contribution
GEO-LDN contributed to Session 2: Monitoring Soil Parameters—Earth Observation as a Trustworthy Technique. Focusing on bridging EO capacities and country needs for informed decisions to reach LDN, we presented an overview of GEO-LDN’s work with our global network of partner institutions and countries.
While the current status of global SOC datasets is not yet sufficient for certain land-use planning decisions, prospects are improving with emerging AI methods and enhanced remote-sensing and in-situ datasets to close spatial and temporal gaps. Beyond LDN implementation, stronger soil data inventories promise a high return on investment and can drive innovation for example, enabling opportunities in carbon credit schemes.
The symposium also examined business models, advances in remote-sensing methodologies, and related topics. Learn more on the event website: ESA Symposium on EO for Soil Protection and Restoration.
