Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, particularly support-
ing the World Food Summit (WFS) Plan of Action and the UN Convention to
Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity
(CBD) in soil-related issues. It will provide the urgently needed science-policy
platform for land, as advocated during a recent stakeholder survey.
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It will
complement similar scientific advisory panels for climate change (the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC) and biodiversity (the
Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, IPBES)
by providing the needed soil-related data, information and assessments
relevant to the various policy-making processes. Particularly in relation to
climate change, it will address the urgent need to preserve the available soil
organic carbon pool,
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whilst for biodiversity it will address the neglected
aspects of below-ground biodiversity.
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It is proposed that the GSP should address five main pillars of action:
N
Promote sustainable management of soil resources for soil protection,
conservation and sustainable productivity;
N
Encourage investment, technical cooperation, policy, education awareness
and extension in soils;
N
Promote targeted soil research and development, focusing on identified gaps
and priorities and synergies with related productive, environmental and
social development actions;
N
Enhance the quantity and quality of soil
d
n
1
r
2
n
g
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data and information: data
collection
(generation),
analysis,
validation,
reporting,
monitoring
and
integration with other disciplines; and
N
Harmonise
methods,
measurements
and
indicators
for
the
sustainable
management and protection of soil resources.
The Global Soil Partnership is expected to provide the necessary framework
towards the long-term goal of achieving a substantial reduction of soil
degradation on a global scale. As a possible target, it is proposed
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to aim
towards ''Zero Net Land Degradation'' by 2030. Achieving such an ambitious
target will not only need substantial efforts towards global governance of soil
resources, but will also need fundamental research for the definition of
measurable indicators and data for assessing the progress made in reducing
land and soil degradation.
4 Towards Zero Net Soil Degradation
There is a need for clearly defined targets and time horizons for achieving
sustainability of the current economic, social and environmental policies if we want
to be able to live on a single planet Earth in peace and prosperity. Preserving the
available land for delivering the necessary ecosystem services for all of us requires a
careful management of the still-available fertile soils in the world. Certainly setting
a target of ''zero net land degradation'', as advocated by the UNCCD, is
