Dataset of indicators for the assessment of soil-management related ecosystem services

We conducted a review of journal articles to identify suitable indicators for measuring the supply of ecosystem services in the context of agricultural land and soil management. A keyword-based search was conducted in Web of Science Core Collection and SCOPUS, using the terms “ecosystems service” AND “indicator” AND “agricultur*”. The search was restricted to articles in English published between January 2014 and January 2019. We identified 227 articles, out of which 179 met our selection criteria. Using a full-text review, we extracted information on ecosystem services addressed and indicators used. We also recorded the type of input data used and the spatial scale the indicators were used at or recommended for. Where studies used ecosystem service definitions other than the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES V.5.1), indicators were assigned to the corresponding CICES class or classes. We used the information derived from the review to create factsheets for 37 ecosystem services relevant to agricultural land and soil management. Each factsheet provides tables with available indicators applicable at spatial scales ranging from field to global, information on the type of input data required and a link to the complete bibliographic information of the article or articles the indicator was taken from. Since the dataset is based on a systematic sample of publications on ecosystem service supply, it indicates the current research focus and research gaps. The dataset provides an indicator toolbox that researchers can use to find the indicators best suited to their research needs.