Federal Minister for the Environment Steffi Lemke said: "Healthy soils that filter water, store carbon and provide a habitat for countless species are the basis of our existence – for nature as well as for us humans. With the opening of the National Soil Monitoring Centre, we are taking a decisive step towards the protection and sustainable use of our soils. This central facility will help us to better understand the state of our soils, develop science-based measures and safeguard biodiversity and the basis of life of future generations. We can only effectively meet the challenges of the future with healthy soils.”

The German Environment Agency (UBA ) coordinates the work of the Soil Monitoring Centre and works closely with the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV ), the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL ), representatives of the federal states, the Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute (TI) and other important institutions.

Dirk Messner, President of the German Environment Agency, said: “By creating the National Soil Monitoring Centre, we are bringing together all the key players in this field. Together, we can further develop national soil protection in the future. Political strategies will become even more scientifically sound and measures will be successful and verifiable. Soil provides life, water and food. Only by protecting it can we maintain our quality of life.”

The numerous programmes for soil status surveys and soil monitoring are the responsibility of different bodies and target different technical issues. The National Soil Monitoring Centre aims to network the various stakeholders in order to improve the comparability of data, enable cross-network assessments of soil and develop appropriate strategies for Climate protection , climate adaptation and the promotion of soil health.

The results can be used not only throughout Germany, but also at European level. This is because the effects of soil damage often do not occur exclusively in the places where they were caused, but also have effects that extend across borders.