Evidence grows that soil biodiversity and aboveground biodiversity appear equally important for multiple functions and services. The Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative has led and catalyzed numerous efforts involving an engaged scientific community, most recently with international partners for the UN Report on the status of soil biodiversity science. This report noted gaps including global observation networks needed to address soil biodiversity change, model applications tied to biodiversity functions for predictive improvements, innovative education programs, building taxonomic capacity, sharing integrated global data and focusing on soil biodiversity knowledge as solutions to soil and environmental problems. What are the urgent next steps?
