THE FRENCH NATIONAL SOIL QUALITY MONITORING NETWORK (RMQS) AS A SUPPORT FOR MONITORING SOIL BIODIVERSITY: past, present and future programs

Soil biodiversity would represent about 25% of the species on Earth. It is threatened, and although it is essential for human activities, it remains largely unknown. The French National Soil Quality Monitoring Network (RMQS) has a significant impact in removing the grey areas through its programs on soil microorganisms, soil meso and macrofauna, meadow flora, truffles and more recently enzymatic activities. The first distribution maps of bacterial phyla on a national scale and of soil fauna on a regional scale (in Brittany) have been developed. For the white truffle, three new areas of presence have been identified in France. The habitats of the bacteria were also described for the first ti…