Towards the development of a harmonized Soil Information System for the Mediterranean regions

In the Mediterranean region and in particularly in the Near East and North Africa Mediterranean countries, the soils and landscapes are extensively degraded and the average level of health of the soil resources is low and already inadequate to support economic development and food security targets. A primary obstacle to achieving policy targets related to the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 is the limited availability and quality of soil data and information (SDI), coupled with their underutilization in the region. Soil data are frequently old, in non-digital format, relatively poor as quantity and quality, and poorly accessible due to limitations established by data owners (e.g., governmental bodies). These data lack effective archiving, homogeneity in terms of soil classification systems, and consistency in field and lab methods and data formats. Therefore, there is a compelling need to enhance the availability and accessibility of SDI and establish harmonized methodologies to create standardized soil information systems (SIS). The initial steps toward this objective are being taken within the SOIL4MED project, which focuses on monitoring soil health and developing information systems to promote sustainable soil management in Mediterranean regions. A key goal of the project is to design and implement country-owned standardized SIS, facilitating the effective protection, management, update, visualization, use, and controlled sharing/publication of SDI. The project starts with a comprehensive review of legacy soil point data, maps, and related methods, as well as soil classification systems in partner countries/regions. The aim is to digitize, harmonize, and make available through a SIS all legacy data provided by partner countries, including Italy, Lebanon, Spain, France, Tunisia, Greece, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, and Morocco. Harmonization efforts involve addressing differences in lab methods, data specifications, and soil classification systems by developing guidelines for harmonization. This includes creating conversion matrices to align with the Word Reference Base-WRB 2022 and ensuring inter-comparability of lab methods. The ultimate goal is to make the data understandable and usable for data owners initially, with the potential for sharing among partners and the public. This collaborative effort represents a crucial preparatory step for the future realization of the Soil Atlas of the Mediterranean Region.