June 1, 2026
Living Soils: A Critical Natural Asset
AXA and VINCI co-sponsored Vivae's manual, highlighting soils as a strategic resource for climate, biodiversity, and economic resilience.
1 minute
Although soils underpin our economies and societies - producing 95% of our food, storing two to three times more carbon than the atmosphere, regulating water, and hosting biodiversity - they remain largely invisible in public debate. Soils can degrade within a few years, yet their regeneration takes centuries, posing risks to climate stability, biodiversity, food security, and territorial resilience.
The manual:
- Provides a comprehensive diagnosis of soil‑related challenges, with a particular focus on France.
- Highlights the six vital functions that soils provide.
- Maps the five interconnected pressures degrading soils.
- Proposes solutions for decision-makers, including investing in knowledge, protecting soils, restoring degraded land, pursuing land sobriety, and transforming agricultural models.
The publication aims to serve as a practical tool to help businesses, financial institutions and public authorities integrate soil health into their strategies and decisions.
Catherine Chazal
Group Head of Environmental and Social Impact
AXA’s role is to protect its clients and support them in managing long‑term risks, many of which are amplified by soil degradation, such as flooding, drought, and ecosystem services disruption. Raising awareness, understanding local dynamics and sharing best practices among all stakeholders are key to enabling preventive action.
The manual also showcases concrete examples of AXA’s actions in favor of nature and soils such as the innovative insurance product dedicated to nature restoration projects launched by SCOR and AXA in early 2026.
Living on soils - The invisible foundation of our prosperity
