Robust biological descriptors of soil health for use in reclamation of brownfield land

Reclamation of contaminated land contributes to environmental health by improving the quality of soil and resolving contamination issues, but descriptors of soil health that can be used to recognise quality, identify problems and define endpoints are currently inadequate. There are limited guidelines as to what constitutes a healthy soil. Although the concept has been well discussed in the context of agricultural and forest soils, different indices are probably required for the environmental constraints associated with brownfield land remediation and the creation of new soils. Implicit to restored soil health is the existence of indicators or monitors of biodiversity, soil sustainability and acceptable risk management. This paper considers the relevant biological descriptors of soil health in the search for well-defined and practicable measures of the functional integrity of soils that can be used for management of brownfield sites undergoing restoration to soft end-uses. A current project in Liverpool aims to provide a toolbox of robust descriptors of soil health for practitioners.