Improve information for land managers on how to assess and interpret soil erosion risks and implement measures to avoid erosion (and other impacts on soil health related to climate change), including: i) the impacts of extreme rainfall drought events on soils; and ii) maps of soils that have been subject to anthropogenic degradation and are candidates for soil improvement programmes.
Objective 3: Embed nature positive Farming, Fishing and Forestry
Priority Action 14. Ensure increased uptake of high diversity, nature-rich, high-soil carbon, low-intensity farming methods while sustaining high-quality food production
The Scottish Government’s climate adaptation and soils policy framework identifies soil erosion, compaction, and organic matter loss as key risks linked to climate change, particularly increased frequency of heavy rainfall events and drought stress. These risks are recognised in national adaptation planning as pressures affecting land productivity and ecosystem function.
Scotland’s soils policy framework and national soil information systems provide baseline datasets on soil types, carbon content, and erosion susceptibility, but these are primarily designed for research and strategic assessment rather than targeted land manager guidance or farm-scale decision tools.
SEFARI and the James Hutton Institute research programmes include ongoing work on soil erosion risk modelling, soil hydrology, and climate impacts on soil structure, including how extreme rainfall increases runoff and erosion risk and how drought affects soil organic matter and biological activity.
SRUC soil science research and advisory work includes assessment of soil structure, drainage, and compaction vulnerability, with tools such as VESS used to identify soil degradation risk at field scale, although uptake is not universal across farming systems.
There is currently no single publicly available, integrated national mapping system that identifies anthropogenically degraded soils specifically for targeted soil improvement programmes across Scotland, although partial datasets exist through soil surveys and land capability classifications.
SEFARI research identifies soil erosion, compaction, and loss of soil organic matter as key processes reducing soil ecosystem function, including impacts on carbon storage, nutrient cycling, and water regulation. These functions are essential for maintaining habitat quality and ecosystem resilience.
NatureScot soil evidence highlights that soil degradation reduces ecosystem services and contributes to wider biodiversity decline through habitat degradation, reduced vegetation productivity, and increased hydrological instability.
The UK Climate Change Risk Assessment and Scottish adaptation evidence identify increasing rainfall intensity and drought frequency as significant drivers of soil degradation risk, increasing the likelihood of erosion events and long-term soil structure decline.
State of Nature Scotland reports continued biodiversity decline across multiple taxa, reinforcing the importance of maintaining soil function as a foundational component of ecosystem resilience and habitat stability.
Taken together, this evidence shows that soil erosion risk and climate impacts on soils are well established in Scottish climate and soil science, but land manager-facing guidance, integrated mapping, and targeted identification of degraded soils remain incomplete or fragmented. This limits practical implementation and system-wide ecological impact.
National Adaptation Plan 2024-2029
Scottish Soils Information Centre
SEFARI – Soil Management Research
NatureScot – Soil Ecosystem Services Evidence
State of Nature Scotland
Increase the uptake of integrated pest management across Scottish agriculture to minimise risks and impacts of pesticides to the environment in line with the UK National Action Plan on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides.
Develop a routemap (end of 2025) for soil security in Scotland including a review and update of Scotland’s Soil Framework and action/implementation plan (2030).
Develop evidence-based Soil Health Indicators that can be considered for inclusion in Whole Farm Plans and Forest Management Plans.
Undertake an evidence-based update of currently available information and advice on biodiversity management to farmers/land managers, to ensure it is up-to-date, clear and easily accessible.
Develop and promote clear guidance for practitioners on soil compaction and farm and forestry machinery contractors are engaged in ensuring appropriate use of equipment, uptake of decisionmaking tools and training, to minimise and ultimately avoid compaction damage to soils.
Set up monitoring frameworks to assess change in soil health, based on evidence from the Natural Resources theme of the Strategic Research Programme (2022-2027).
Reduce inputs of nutrients to freshwaters that cause enrichment impacts on biodiversity, by controlling both diffuse and point source pollution through effective nutrient management through agricultural reform and SEPA’s Priority Catchment programme, ensuring compliance with the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011 (CAR) under River Basin Management Planning.
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