The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and related 169 Targets, adopted by the United Na-tions in September 2015, aim to end poverty, protect the planet, and to ensure prosperity for all. Due to their various functions, land and soil are addressed by several SDGs and Targets. In particular, Tar-get 2.4 "By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices . . . that progressively improve land and soil quality", and Target 15.3 "By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil . . . strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world" refer to sustainable use of land and soil.
However, soil related indicators are still lacking. These are fundamental to the implementation of the SDGs as they are needed to measure performance towards achieving them. In this context, the soil organic carbon (SOC) stock, which supports critically important soil-derived ecosystem services, is discussed as indicator for land and soil degradation. The SOC plays a fundamental role in the func-tion, fertility and productivity of terrestrial ecosystems, the quality of soil and water, as well as in cli-mate protection.

This report takes a close look at the importance of SOC and its potential as indicator for land and soil degradation. Furthermore, it illustrates challenges to be met and conditions to be created in order to establish the SOC stock as a globally relevant and feasible indicator for the implementation of the SDGs.

List of more related publications which you can find opening the second link.
• Land Degradation Neutrality: An Evaluation of Methods;
• Soil Organic Carbon – An Appropriate Indicator to Monitor Trends of Land and Soil Degradation within the SDG Framework?;
• Implementing SDG target 15.3 on “Land Degradation Neutrality”;
• Legal Instruments to implement the objective “Land Degradation Neutral World” in International Law;
• Land Degradation Neutrality;
• Resource-Efficient Land Use – Towards a Global Sustainable Land Use Standard (GLOBALANDS);
• Extending land footprints towards characterizing sustainability of land use;
• Quantifying the land footprint of Germany and the EU using a hybrid accounting model;