Background

The general objective of the RAMSOIL project is to provide scientific guidelines on possibilities for EU wide parameter harmonization based on detailed information on current risk assessment methodologies of soil threats encountered within EU Member States. In RAMSOIL current risk assessments methodologies used in the EU are collected and evaluated by thematic coordinators and thematic partners. 

Numerous methodologies are used in the EU Member States to assess the risk for different soil threats related to various agricultural practices to occur (compaction, erosion, landslides, organic matter decline and salinization).
 These methodologies are based on different approaches, are fed with different parameters and sometimes different values are used for the same parameter. In the project RAMSOIL current risk assessment methodologies are reviewed, differences are assessed and scientific support is provided in exploring which parameters can and should be harmonised. For the parameters which should not or can not be harmonised, scientific evaluations will be provided.

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Uniform risk assessment methodologies pave the way for uniform assessment and integration of soil threats in EU Member States, while possible trade-offs of risks may be prevented.
Identification of possible ‘new’ areas at risk; by implementing uniform methodologies to all Member States, possible soil threats not yet encountered in some Member States can be identified.
Measures to prevent soil degradation and to restore degraded soils can be evaluated similarly and hence harmonisation allows for comparison and up-scaling of results.