Time for new ground rules

The soil beneath our feet is home to billions of unseen life forms that just love to make plants happy. Stephanie Hafferty shows how we can all give them a helping hand by protecting our soil

All life on Earth depends on the soil beneath our feet but for years soil has been overlooked, with little real understanding of its fundamental role.

The soil is one of the most diverse environments on the planet, so it's important that we look after it. This is one of the most effective ways in which we can help our world.

When asked to imagine an abundant ecosystem, we may think of jungles or rain forests, but did you know that an estimated one quarter of all biodiversity is in the soil? This means the soil food web is very complex.

Go into your garden or park and scoop up a teaspoon of healthy soil: you'll be holding more organisms than there are people on the planet. Whether it's bacteria, protozoa, nematodes, fungi or algae, most soil life is invisible to the human eye and requires powerful microscopes to see it.

An extensive subterranean web of soil fungi, flora and fauna connects trees and other plants via their roots.

It's being called the Wood Wide Web, and is thought to be around 500 million years old. It helps plants keep healthy by increasing access to nutrients and water, and also allows communication between them. Caring for the soil helps to keep this network thriving.

Protecting the soil creates a better environment for all wildlife and helps increase biodiversity. Many creatures rely on soil life as part of their diet and to feed their young. Soil is also home to many insects and other creatures at the larval stage, throughout their life, or for hibernating in.