Claudy Jolivet, soil scientist at INRAE, presents the Réseau de Mesure de la Qualité des Sols (RMQS) (Soil Quality Measurement Network) that he coordinates. The aim of this GIS Sol programme is to monitor changes in soil over time by analysing various parameters, including carbon, pH, granulometry, contaminants and biodiversity. Its team can calculate carbon stocks, soil fertility, pesticide residue levels and other indicators according to the needs of GIS partners or public policies.

The programme is based on the monitoring of 2,240 sites, spread over a 16 x 16km grid, in mainland France and the overseas territories (in conjunction with the IRD). The sites are re-sampled approximately every 12 to 15 years, and all the samples are kept (so that the properties measured can be supplemented according to needs and methodological advances). The scientists in the Info&Sols unit working for the RMQS are thus able to qualify the soils, and learn more about their condition, their functions and the services they provide. Their work also involves characterising changes in the soil, assessing the pressures and threats to which it is subject, and in some cases, the impact of its degradation on other environments, using reliable and robust indicators.

For more than 20 years, the RMQS has been a key programme in supporting agricultural, climate and environmental policies, while at the same time being a forerunner in light of the forthcoming new European directive. The GIS Sol has made it possible to network all those involved in public policy and provide them with valuable data to meet their needs.