During 2008 and until early 2009, a total of 2108 samples of agricultural (ploughed land, 0-20 cm) and 2023 samples of grazing land (0-10 cm) soil were collected at a density of 1 site/2500 km2 each from 33 European countries, covering an area of 5,600,000 km2. All samples were analysed for 52 chemical elements after an aqua regia extraction, 41 elements by XRF (total), and soil properties, like CEC, TOC, pH (CaCl2), following tight external quality control procedures. In addition, the agricultural soil samples were analysed for 57 elements in a mobile metal ion (MMI®) extraction, Pb isotopes and magnetic susceptibility. The GEMAS project thus provides for the first time fully harmonised data for element concentrations and soil properties known to influence the bioavailability and toxicity of the elements at the continental (European) scale. The provided database is fully in compliance with the requirements of the European REACH Regulation (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals).The study also provides valuable information for other European pieces of legislation related to metals in soil.The concentrations of many elements (e. g., As, Bi, Co, Cu, Li, Mn, Pb) in soils of north-eastern Europe are up to three times lower than in the South-West of Europe. The break in concentration occurs along the southern limit of the last glaciation and is thus directly related to geology. The variable geochemical background from north to south makes it impossible to define one soil background level for any chemical element that is valid for the whole of Europe. However, areas with increased metal concentrations can be clear- ly identified, and are most often associated with known mineral districts and mining areas. Some major cities (e.g., London, Paris) are marked by local anomalies of elements like Au, Hg and Pb, typically linked to anthropogenic activities. Element concentrations decrease rapidly towards the surrounding natural background with distance to any one anthropogenic source. For several elements (e. g., Hg, P, S, Se) the regional distribution patterns are strongly affected by climatic conditions favoring the development of organic soil. On all geochemical maps, the effect of diffuse contamination remains invisible at the chosen continental scale and sample density. To reliably detect contamination, mapping at a much higher sample density, i.e., at the local scale, is needed. Agricultural and grazing land soil samples show practically the same distribution patterns over Europe and very comparable element concentrations. This demonstrates the robustness of the low sample density geochemical mapping approach.

Part B of the GEMAS atlas provides a more detailed interpretation of the spatial distribution of selected elements (As, C, Cd, K, Th, U) at the European scale than was possible to provide in Part A, the geochemical atlas. To highlight the importance of scale this part also provides interpretations of the data set at a more local scale (Scandinavia and Ukraine). Possibilities for more-in-depth uses of the data set from assessing the impact of agriculture (carbon stock), through risk assessment to unravelling geological processes (loess distribution) are demonstrated. Several chapters cover the background information needed for the interpretation of a geochemical atlas (geology, soil formation, mineral deposits). Finally, data on the regional distribution of some rarely analysed elements (B, Cl, F) at the European scale are pre- sented, based on the old FOREGS soil samples. A discussion of element concentrations, as measured in a very weak extraction (MMI®), helps to understand the geochemical processes governing the distribution of elements at the European scale, and allows us to better detect the impact of human activities on European agricultural soil. Part B also provides Tables summarising European legislation with regard to soil, and the key statistical parameters for the GEMAS samples.

Agriculture is a crucial component of the economies of many of the countries in transition from a centrally-planned to a market economy and the sector is by no means immune to the environmental and socioeconomic problems confronting the countries as a whole. The concept of sustainable development provides a convenient framework for the formulation of government environmental policy for such countries, especially those of them that aspire to join the EU and would thus be expected to meet EU environmental standards. For agriculture, this inevitably involves appropriate strategies for balancing crop and animal production while protecting the quality of the national soil and water resources. There is thus an urgent need to compile, exchange and evaluate current information on the quality of soils in these countries, and to assess the potential impact of new management practices on the soil and on the wider environment.

This is the second of two volumes that together provide a global overview of the impact of agriculture on soil degradation, tracing the most critical drivers like the use and abuse of agrochemicals, mechanization, overgrazing, irrigation, slash and burn agriculture, and the use of plastics. Soil degradation caused by agriculture practices is a complex issue which depends on the interaction of social, economic, political, and environmental aspects. In this book, expert contributors elucidate the extension of the effects of agriculture on soil degradation in Europe, a continent with different cultures and political backgrounds that affect agricultural practices. Readers will also find in this book authoritative solutions to minimize the effects of agriculture intensification and land-use in this continent. Divided into 12 chapters, the book offers a European perspective on soil quality and sustainable management, including case studies about the impact of chemical agents like fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and soil acidification and microplastics pollution in agriculture practices from countries such as Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, Germany, Portugal and Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Ukraine. Given the breadth and depth of its coverage, the book offers an invaluable source of information for researchers, students and environmental managers alike. Chapter “Agricultural Land Degradation in the Czech Republic” is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

This volume comprises three parts: 1) from local to global, 2) what type of sustainable management? 3) territorial approaches. The first chapter demonstrates, from the French example, that better soil management is a societal issue. At the global level, the second chapter raises the question of land grabbing and land use conflicts. This book also raises the question of the legal status of the soil. It then shows how soils need to be integrated when defining sustainable agricultural systems. French and European examples illustrate how taking environmental problems into account depends as much on their acuity as on how problems are perceived by public and private, social or economic actors. Therefore, it is important to promote co-diagnosis involving the scientific community and the various other actors in order to improve the regulation on soils. This multi-actor soil governance is facilitated by the use of simple soil quality indicators. Finally, examples in France and Vietnam show how soils are to be considered as territorial commons within landscapes. This last chapter recommends in particular to put an end to the absolute right of soil ownership and to distribute the usufruct of land between various private and public beneficiaries.