Let soil live

IT IS just a start, but the message is loud and clear. At the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi this October, “Motion 007: Soil Security Law” was presented for formal voting, aiming to give soil security the urgent legal recognition it requires.

- By RICHARD MAHAPATRA

IUCN members approved the motion, calling for the development of “concepts and parameters for an international convention or a global legal instrument on soil security.” Motion 007 asks the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law to “explore options for international legally binding and nonbinding instruments on soil security.” It defines soil security as “responsible management and preservation of soil to ensure its continued ability to perform vital functions, provide essential ecosystem and biophysical services, and protect against emerging threats to support life on Earth,” and outlines its five dimensions: capacity, condition, capital, connectivity and codification. These dimensions are intended to guide countries, and the world in general, to integrate soil security into policy and programmes and in shaping the potential global convention.