Even tiny amounts of soil can contain thousands of species and millions of individual organisms that form dynamic ecosystems harbouring an extraordinary diversity of life. This intricate web of life plays a critical role in maintaining the planet's health, climate and productivity: soil hosts a quarter of all life on the planet and directly or indirectly supports 95 per cent of the food we eat.

Data on soil biodiversity thus provides unique evidence for forming insights into broader ecological patterns, interactions and processes. By working with expert communities like SoilBON and the Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative to integrate soil biodiversity data with data from other environments, GBIF helps reveal a more comprehensive understanding of the complex sources of life—on and in—Earth.