A Strategy for Taking Soil Carbon into the Policy Arena - Soil Carbon: Science, Management and Policy for Multiple Benefits - page 78

Policy rationale co-beneits, to link better with bio-

diversity, food security and sustainable
development.

• AneconomicvaluationofSOCshould
be based on a methodology to quantify
the soil capital, and in particular the
contribution of SOC, in order to pre-
serve this heritage for future gener-
ations.

Governance

• SOCmustindasetoflexiblenarra-
tives and discourses that create a strong
'story' in compelling language suitable
for multiple policy arenas.
• TherelevanceandimportanceofSOC
must be embedded in all levels of deci-
sion making and action, via the high-
profile global accords (such as UNCCD,
United Nations Conference on Environ-
ment and Development (UNCED)), na-
tional action plans (NAPs, NAMAs)
and institutions at all levels, such as
NGOs and NARS.
• Goodgovernancemustunderpininitia-
tives to prioritize SOC with arrange-
ments that provide specifically targeted
incentives/subsidies and penalties for
non-compliance.

Policy support

• At the local level , develop pro-
grammes that pull together information
on cropping systems and practices in
developing countries and build cap-
acity at the local level to use tools and
methods.
• Harmonize national-level SMNs so
they can be compared with each other
and include the parameters needed to
make estimates of SOC (e.g. bulk
density).
• Facilitate actions to enable data ex-
change where there are national or
regional restrictions.

Acknowledgement

Advocates and institutions

This work was partially supported by the
European Union within the project EcoFIND-
ERS (FP7‐264465).

• Strategy:movebeyondUNFCCCus-
ing SOC as an indicator of other

Notes

1 As an example, the Commission 4.4 'Soil education and public awareness' of the International
Union of Soil Science (IUSS) organize every 4 years within the International Congress of Soil Science
some symposiums on this subject.
2 First Global Soil Week 2012. Rapporteurs' Reports. Global Soil Forum. Institute for Advanced
Sustainability Studies (IASS), Potsdam, Germany.
3 ' Securing healthy soils for a food secure world', a day dedicated to soils ( http://www.fao.org/
globalsoilpartnership/world-soil-day/en/ ) .

References

Aggarwal-Khan, S. (2012) The Policy Process in International Environmental Governance . Palgrave-
Macmillan, London, 208 pp.
Antle, J.M. and Stoorvogel, J.J. (2003) Agricultural carbon sequestration, poverty, and sustainability.
Environment and Development Economics 13(3), 327-352.