Healthy soils are the backbone of many sectors of the Scottish economy. However when soils are degraded, the impacts can lead to significant costs to individuals, communities and the wider economy.
Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW)
July 22, 2024
Healthy soils play a crucial role in Scotland's economy. They are vital for growing healthy crops, storing water to mitigate the impacts of flooding and drought and regulating water flow to rivers and lochs. When soils are degraded, they can no longer provide these benefits to the same extent resulting in costs to land based businesses and the wider economy.
A recent report published by CREW estimated annual costs of soil degradation in Scotland from soil sealing and compaction range between £25 million and £75 million due to reduced crop yield and increased fuel use.
The study also found that soil compaction can exacerbate erosion, increasing previous estimates of erosion costs.
Further work is required to understand the impact of compaction on the cost of soil erosion and on the costs associated with other soil degradation processes such as contamination.
Read the full report: Assessing the socio-economic impacts of soil degradation on Scotland’s water environment.
A policy brief, summary report and an infographic are also available from the CREW website.
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