Mapping the Future of England’s Soil Health

Jacobs has been appointed by Natural England to support its national-scale assessments of the state of England’s soils, vegetation and landscape.

By providing soil sampling and assessment services at 150 sites across England. Jacobs’ work will contribute to the England Ecosystem Survey—the largest field survey ever undertaken in the United Kingdom—under the government’s Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA) Program. The NCEA spans land, coast and sea, gathering vital data to protect and restore nature, halt biodiversity loss and support climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Jacobs’ soil data will play a key role in helping the government make informed decisions aligned with the 25-Year Environment Plan. This includes advancing the new Soil Health Metric and enhancing national land management programs such as Environmental Land Management and Biodiversity Net Gain. The outputs will also inform the State of Natural Capital Report (a national-scale assessment of the state of our environmental assets) and the data will be made available under Open Government License.

Natural England selected Jacobs for our strong record in delivering complex, large-scale field surveys. Our single-supplier model, nationwide reach and deep soil science and field management expertise will allow us to meet the program’s ambitious targets.

We are coordinating and delivering soil surveys for up to 555 plots in 150 monads (1km² areas), undertaking in-field assessments and obtaining samples for a wide range of laboratory analyses. 

Soil is the foundation of our environment. Around 95 percent of our food production depends on it, either directly or indirectly and soils are home to around two-thirds of the world’s biodiversity. These surveys will shed new light on England’s soil biodiversity, carbon stocks and ecosystem health. The findings will help shape smarter strategies for protecting soil, improving natural ecosystem functions and understanding the interactions between soil, vegetation and landscape.