informs about the state of the environment and reveals the links between driving forces, pressures, environmental quality, impacts and responses.

Together with the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG), the FOEN operates the Swiss soil monitoring network (NABO). NABO is not only a reference network, but also an instrument for detecting problems early on and evaluating the effectiveness of soil protection efforts.

Chemical and physical impacts on soil are either irreversible or can only be reversed at a very high cost. Therefore, the precautionary principle has absolute priority in soil protection.