This curated book addresses, in the scholarly realm, the problems of soil degradation and provides some practical solutions for them to save soil life. It comprises ten specially invited chapters that address the global soil framework, soil challenges in India, existing policy, law and institutional framework as well as other perspectives. Soil is our biological capital. The soil health is critical for survival of the humans (and other life forms) since almost 95% of our food comes from it. It also has significant potential as a sink for carbon through sequestering. Excessive and inappropriate land use leads to various forms of land degradation that becomes contributing factor for hunger, migration and even wars. There are several multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) including UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) that hold relevance for addressing the global soil problematique. The UNCCD Strategic Framework (2018-2030) has declared desertification/land degradation and drought (DLDD) as "challenges of a global dimension". As a result, sustainable soil management (SSM) has emerged as an important goal for attaining Sustainable Development Goals 2030 (SDGs 2030). In the backdrop of these globally ordained processes, India appears to be seriously pursuing the Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) target within the framework of the UNCCD. As a corollary, India has set an ambitious goal of halting any further land degradation by 2030 and rehabilitate at least 30 million hectares of degraded wasteland, forest land and agricultural land. This ideational effort by eminent legal scholars, soil scientists and practitioners aim to promote concerted teaching and research in the field of soil law and governance in the University Faculties of Law, National Law Schools, Institutions of Eminence and other legal and scientific bodies. The 'seeds sown' in the soil of knowledge through this effort will,hopefully, provide an impetus for more in-depth research concerning soil law and governance in India and beyond.

Autorentext

Dr. Bharat H. Desai is a Professor of International Law and Jawaharlal Nehru Chair in International Environmental Law at the Centre for International Legal Studies, School of International Studies of Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. He is Editor-in-Chief of the global journals Environmental Policy and Law (Amsterdam: IOS Press) and Yearbook of International Environmental Law (Oxford: Oxford University Press). Prof. Desai's cutting-edge ideas, call for taking International Law seriously and proposals, such as the UN 'specialized agency' for the environment (UNEPO), revived and repurposed UN Trusteeship Council (UNTC) and an international environmental court (IEC), are reflected in his leading books published by global publishing houses as well as in journals of international repute.