Division Soil — Annex III, Section A, point (c)(ii)

Projects that limit, mitigate or propose innovative methods for compensating for soil sealing at regional, provincial or municipal level, in line with the Soil Sealing Guidelines (SWD(2012) 101 final/2)^f1, particularly those involving a rethinking of planning and budgetary approaches with a view to achieving regional or municipal development without further land take or soil sealing.

Projects designed to achieve better soil management (decreasing erosion, maintaining soil organic matter, avoiding compaction and contamination, conserving/restoring carbon rich soil, etc.) at the local, regional or national level. The methods used can include monitoring tools and practices or the improvement of administrative and legal frameworks. Of particular interest will be projects providing cost-effective solutions improving existing tools or methodologies, or supporting soil functions as part of the wider ecosystem, e.g. for water retention.

Projects that develop and implement cost-effective support tools and schemes for the identification of contaminated sites at regional or national level.