Accurate data on soil pollution is essential for effective decision-making in soil health monitoring and management. However, such data are often unavailable or presented in formats that do not effectively facilitate decision-making.
A paper titled "Soil Pollution Mapping Across Africa: Potential Tool for Soil Health Monitoring", authored by members of the Africa Soil Information Community of Practice for Soil Information Providers , facilitated by ISRIC, was recently published in Pollutants.
The objectives of this paper were to (i) assess the availability of soil pollution maps in Africa, (ii) evaluate the methodologies used to produce these maps, (iii) explore the role of soil pollution maps in soil health monitoring, and (iv) identify gaps and challenges in soil pollution mapping across the continent.
The study found that existing soil pollution maps in Africa are often localised, inconsistent, and lack the necessary detail to inform effective decision-making.
