Soil Conservation And Sustainable Land Use

Soil quality is threatened by many human-induced activities, but can also be improved by good land management. In the relatively short history of mankind on earth, the landscape and soils of the world have been drastically modified from their "natural " state. Landscapes altered by man's activities are termed "Anthroscapes" which are inextricably linked to culture and history. The challenges for today's scientists are to devise and implement sustainable land management strategies in order to preserve the land for the benefit of future generations. This book is a valuable compendium of the research experiences so far gained in studies of the context and concept of the "Anthroscape" and highlights the potential future contributions of such research to sustainable development.

The 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development placed a responsibility on States to protect the local, regional and global environment, especially problems shared by the whole community such as soil degradation. The knowledge of the severe degradation situation of the world's soils and of the poor state of the soil legislation led the IUCN to pass a Soil Resolution at its World Congress in October 2000 for the IUCN Environmental Law Program to develop legal guidelines, explanatory material and investigate a global legal instrument for the sustainable use of soils, while paying particular attention to the ecological needs of soil and their ecological functions for the conservation of biodiversity and the maintenance of human life. This book discusses an ecological-based rationale for new international, national and regional legislation and institutional frameworks for sustainable soil, and a basis for the preparation of the instruments.

Land is the integrating component of all livelihoods depending on farm, forest, rangeland, or water (rivers, lakes, coastal marine) habitats. Due to varying political, social, and economic factors, the heavy use of natural resources to supply a rapidly growing global population and economy has resulted in the unintended mismanagement and degradation of land and ecosystems. 'Sustainable Land Management' provides strategic focus to the implementation of sustainable land management (SLM) components of the World Bank's development strategies. SLM is a knowledge-based procedure that integrates land, water, biodiversity, and environmental management to meet rising food and fiber demands while sustaining livelihoods and the environment. This book, aimed at policy makers, project managers, and development organization, articulates priorities for investment in SLM and natural resource management and identifies the policy, institutional, and incentive reform options that will accelerate the adoption of SLM productivity improvements and pro-poor growth.

This work is intended for advanced readers interested in methods of sustainable land management - the prevention and control of land degradation. It offers a coherent view of the situation concerning land degradation and the human response to the problem. It is generally recognized that technological solutions alone cannot solve the problems of land degradation. This book discusses the role of land use and land management policies, programmes, insitutional innovations, and economic incentives for the control and prevention of land degradation. Special attention is given to legal issues at the international level and in individual countries.

The Asian Development Bank has introduced significant changes in the way farmers and other stakeholders view and benefit from evolving approaches to sustainable land management (SLM) practices. Firmly embedded in SLM are the management and climate resilience of natural resources, which can be enhanced and scaled up by adopting a "landscape approach." This publication sets out how the landscape approach can contribute to overcoming major environmental and developmental challenges---focusing on rural areas of Asia and by examining prevalent forms of SLM (namely participatory forest management, terraces, conservation agriculture, and home gardens). This publication seeks to strengthen awareness of the landscape approach and facilitate the integration of its key elements into cooperation programs with its developing members.

This book is a timely contribution towards the debate on the most effective way to bring about sustainable farming in marginal areas. It offers a detailed analysis of the social, economic, and agro-ecological characteristic of both Soil and Water Conservation (SWC) and Better Land Husbandry (BLH) and an analysis of case studies of BLH from Central