Our Contributions
Global Soil Biodiversity Atlas
The Global Soil Biodiversity Atlas, published in 2016, was the first global synthesis of soil biodiversity and its importance to life on Earth. Developed jointly by the GSBI and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, it brought together the knowledge of more than 150 scientists from 26 countries. The Atlas provides an accessible introduction to soil habitats, soil organisms, their distribution, and the functions they perform, making global soil biodiversity science available to researchers, policymakers, educators, and the public.
FAO State of Knowledge of Soil Biodiversity
The FAO State of Knowledge of Soil Biodiversity – Status, Challenges and Potentialities provided the first comprehensive global assessment of what is known about soil biodiversity, the threats it faces, and the opportunities for its sustainable management and conservation. Published in 2020, the assessment was produced through collaboration among the FAO, the GSBI, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the European Commission, and the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils. GSBI scientists contributed expertise and authorship throughout the assessment.
Soil BON
Through the Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON), the GSBI together with the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and a number of other global partners, have worked to establish a primer for a global soil biodiversity observation network (Soil BON). This operational network will be specified and deployed in the near future with an extended number of partners.
NETSOB
The International Network on Soil Biodiversity (NETSOB) was established through the FAO Global Soil Partnership in 2021 to bring together experts and initiatives working on soil biodiversity. The GSBI has contributed scientific leadership and expertise to NETSOB, including work on measurement, assessment, monitoring, and conservation. Through its working groups, NETSOB is developing guidance, indicators, best practices, and policy-relevant knowledge to strengthen the conservation and sustainable use of soil biodiversity worldwide.
