Abstract
Because of the systemic connections between soils and many other issues, the attention that is actually paid to soil issues is far greater than is immediately apparent. In many countries, scientists, public servants and politicians are debating sequestration of carbon in soils, deforestation and other land management matters which impact the soil, the atmosphere and the human interests bound up in these.This special edition arose from a workshop held in Iceland in 2012, supported by the Australian Research Council and hosted by the Icelandic Soils Service. It brought together researchers and practitioners with expertise and interest in the human dimensions of natural resource governance. An aim was to generate fresh perspectives on how to govern human behaviour, to improve the sustainability and fairness of our use of the land. The team included experts and practitioners in soil issues, community engagement, psychology, sociology, economics, law and other disciplines from many countries. The papers in this special edition reflect issues that have also been canvassed in other investigations. These papers provide some different perspectives as well as reinforcing some common themes.
Highlights
The people involved in soil science and sustainability often bemoan that not enough attention is paid to the sustainability of soil
The positive implication of ‘equifinality’ is the realisation that significant changes to a complex system can arise from alteration at any point within that system and, by implication, the dynamic effects of multiple small adjustments can mean significant changes to the total system
Because of the systemic connections between soils and many other issues, the attention that is paid to soil issues is far greater than is immediately apparent. As this edition of the International Journal of Rural Law and Policy is reaching finalisation, numerous events are being held around the world as part of the 2015 ‘Year of Soils’. At many of these events, experts will point to the ‘soil crisis’, highlighting the march of desertification, the loss of soil to urbanisation, deterioration in the fertility of agricultural landscapes, soil contamination, and many other serious problems
Summary
Because of the systemic connections between soils and many other issues, the attention that is paid to soil issues is far greater than is immediately apparent As this edition of the International Journal of Rural Law and Policy is reaching finalisation, numerous events are being held around the world as part of the 2015 ‘Year of Soils’. At many of these events, experts will point to the ‘soil crisis’, highlighting the march of desertification, the loss of soil to urbanisation, deterioration in the fertility of agricultural landscapes, soil contamination, and many other serious problems.
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