A soil health indicator framework based on ecosystem service delivery

A proof-of-concept environmental indicator framework designed to monitor soil health and its capacity to deliver key ecosystem services was developed for England. The framework addressed trade-offs inherent in managing soils for diverse, often conflicting outcomes, such as climate regulation, food production, water regulation, and below-ground biodiversity. By integrating these ecosystem services into a unified system, the framework enables assessment of soil health at a granular scale while contextualizing results across broader land uses.

Key soil properties critical to soil health and ecosystem service delivery were identified and ranked, forming the basis of conceptual models for statistical modelling in Bayesian Belief Networks. These models were populated with national-scale datasets and expert judgment, providing probabilistic outputs that indicated the capacity of soils to support ecosystem services at the land parcel level. Results were visualized in a user-friendly dashboard app, allowing for comparison of soil health within the context of inherent soil properties and current land use.

Initial outputs demonstrated the utility of the framework in identifying trade-offs and synergies between ecosystem services, while also potential to detect emergent soil system properties. The framework’s flexibility has allowed for further iterative refinement of the models, and future incorporation of local knowledge, new soil data, and adjustment to evolving policy or scientific understanding. This adaptability ensures the framework remains relevant for diverse applications, from reporting national policy targets on soil health to supporting field-level decisions by farmers.