Soil is all around us - a vibrant, living system - yet we tend to ignore it and take it for granted.Our relationship with soil has weakened. We have become soil blind. But soil is our vital resource; much of our lives depend on it. Soil is part of every landscape, including urban ones. It feeds us, provides physical support, manages water flows, underpins natural habitats, and provides a home to a huge population of plants and animals. At a time of impending food, climate and biodiversity crises, we ignore soil at our peril.In this latest volume of the British Wildlife Collection, Jennifer Jones celebrates soil and all that it does for us. She guides us through the soil formation processes that have resulted in the huge variation that we see today across lowland and highland Britain, before then exploring the living world of soil, from the tiniest fungi and micro-organisms, through a range of subterranean creatures, to soils of different habitats. Contemporary issues abound, including challenges to peatlands, agriculture and food production, as well as soil health.Richly illustrated and drawing on the author’s extensive experience as well as knowledge from other key scientists and researchers, Soil reveals the many roles and attributes of our hidden resource and demonstrates why we need to understand the soil environment and the part it has to play in securing a sustainable future.