This document provides requirements and recommendations for the design of field studies with soil invertebrates (e.g. for the monitoring of the quality of a soil as a habitat for organisms). It applies to all terrestrial biotopes inhabited by soil invertebrates, although this information can vary according to the national requirements or the climatic and regional conditions of the site to be sampled.

NOTE            While this document aims to be applicable globally, the existing information refers mostly to temperate regions. However, the (few) studies from other (tropical and boreal) regions, as well as theoretical considerations, allow the conclusion that the principles laid down in this document are generally valid.^{[1]],[[11]],[[12]],[[13]}