Understanding Soil Biodiversity and Making It Visible to Society: SOB4ES Releases Project Video

From forests and grasslands to wetlands and farmlands, soils are home to an incredible biodiversity that sustains life on Earth. Yet, much of this underground world remains understudied — despite providing vital services for both the planet and people.

The EU-funded SOB4ES project is leading one of the most ambitious soil biodiversity studies ever conducted, supporting the EU’s mission to achieve healthy soils across Europe by 2050. Through an extensive sampling campaign, scientists collected more than 430 soil samples across forests, grasslands, wetlands, urban areas, and farmland throughout Europe. Using molecular sequencing and artificial intelligence, researchers are now analysing the data to reveal how soil life changes across regions, land uses, and seasons.

By doing so, SOB4ES is helping to make the hidden world beneath our feet visible to society — because protecting soil biodiversity benefits farmers, foresters, policymakers, industry, and all of us.

To showcase this mission, SOB4ES has released a new video, now available on YouTube and the project website.

Stay updated on the project’s journey by following SOB4ES on LinkedIn and X.