Press Release: First Soil Atlas of Europe shows importance of protecting this vital resource

The European Commission on 28 April 2005 launched the first Soil Atlas of Europe, designed to describe and explain the threats to our soil, and raise awareness of its diversity and its importance to our lives. The Atlas was thought to contribute to future actions to protect Europe's soil, such as a proposal for a Thematic Strategy on soil protection, scheduled to be put forward by the Commission before the end of 2005.