Bridging soil biodiversity and human well-being: An actionable framework to measure links between the natural capital and plural value of soils

Abstract

Human activities contribute to soil degradation globally, endangering life belowground and services like food production and climate regulation. To reverse this situation, an actionable framework to connect soil health and soil biodiversity status with human well-being, integrating the biophysical, economic, and social domains, is urgently needed. Here, learning from previous generalist and soil-specific frameworks, we introduce the Soil Biodiversity and Well-being Framework, which creates the conceptual architecture to quantifiably link soil natural capital with human beneficiaries, soil management, environmental pressures, and societal responses. Furthermore, we outline the requirements for its operationalization, based on a flexible set of measurable indicators for soil natural capital assets, plural valuation of soil-mediated nature’s contributions to people, and human well-being. The implementation of the framework by multiple stakeholders (e.g., scientists, farmers, or policymakers) can generate the multidimensional and quantitative evidence to support action toward transformative change for sustainable soil management and soil biodiversity conservation.