NIK supports the European Commission's “Mission Soil” Manifesto for Soil Protection and Restoration

At the end of last year, NIK officially announced its full support and active participation in the European Commission's “Mission Soil Manifesto” initiative — a manifesto dedicated to the important role of soils in human life and nature. This manifesto represents an important step in improving and protecting soils both globally.

The Manifesto

1. Soil is essential for human life and nature. 95% of our food comes from the soil. Healthy soils provide us with clean water and air and capture carbon, thereby mitigating the effects of climate change, facilitating adaptation to it and supporting biodiversity. Soils also sustain our landscape and cultural heritage and are the foundation of our economy and prosperity. We realize that soil is the basis of our well-being. With this manifesto, we are creating a community that cares about soils.
2. We need to protect and restore them. Soils are a fragile resource that must be carefully managed and protected for future generations. It is estimated that more than 60% of soils in the EU are not in poor soil health due to unsustainable management practices, due to contamination or sealing. Climate change puts additional pressure on them and accelerates land degradation. All types of soils are affected. We should not ignore any of them.
3. Conservation and restoration of soils must be included in all human activities that have an impact on lands. Protecting and improving soils is critical to maintaining the well-being and prosperity of all. We can all contribute to stop soil degradation and build a sustainable future based on healthy soils for food, people, nature and climate. Action is encouraged at all levels: global, national, regional and local.
4. We support the Soil Pact for Europe mission (Soils Mission) and its goal of setting up 100 “living laboratories” and sample farms by 2030 to promote soil conservation and restoration in Europe. We also welcome activities to achieve the specific objectives of the mission: reducing desertification, conserving organic carbon stocks in the soil, stopping sealing and increasing the reuse of urban soils, reducing pollution and improving restoration, preventing erosion, improving soil structure in order to improve biodiversity in them, reducing global the EU's footprint on soils and increasing awareness of them in society.
5. We are committed and motivated to contribute to the conservation and restoration of soil health — according to our capabilities, professional skills and the particularities of our regions, as it is an essential resource for our living space and for our well-being. We will contribute to raising awareness of the importance of soil and expand the community actively involved in caring for this valuable resource.

By signing the manifesto, the NIC is committed to respecting, supporting and working towards the implementation of these five main strands aimed at protecting and restoring soil, believing that joint efforts can make a real difference and ensure a sustainable future.