Sustainable Soil Management Threats Resulting from the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter adopts an exploratory approach towards analyzing the sustainable soil threats arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic arises from a range of coronaviruses (CoVs) which are believed to be transferable from animals to humans, and are likely to generate interaction with almost all environmental media—the land, soils on it, water and air. Soils are undisputedly the foundation for all environmental considerations, being the basic support for all forms of life. Soils are found in the environment where we live, work, play, learn and worship. Therefore, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic is both an environmental matter of grave concern as well as a public health emergency which is threatening sustainable soil management (SSM) and the entire global environment. The pandemic is not only threatening environmental wellbeing, but also the very existence of human life. Both the COVID-19 pandemic and environmental challenges such as climate change and loss of biological diversity have no boundaries and can negatively affect global SSM. This brings the enforcement of a wide range of environmental laws into perspective—waste management, natural resources conservation, pollution control, water and sanitation, including wildlife and other animal-related legislation.In most transition and developing countries, the global pandemic is manifesting alongside inadequate socio-economic bases, poor healthcare facilities, severe environmental degradation, and poor enforcement of laws and policies in the governance and environmental sectors which are closely aligned to public health. This chapter uses desktop research to explore likely threats arising from the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and whether the existing law and policy frameworks can provide effective response to the resultant SSM threats. In the wake of the COVID-19 global health challenge, any lapses in enforcing environmental laws and policies may result in worsened challenges. For instance, the global food security threat is likely to escalate owing to soil being polluted and thereby returning poor yields. In the final analysis, if the anticipated threats on SSM are not well managed, there might be significant disturbances in ecosystem support services, leading to further loss of biological diversity among other challenges. In the absence of conclusive information on the full extent of threats to SSM during and post the COVID-19 pandemic, the purpose of this exploratory chapter is to call attention to more research.KeywordsCOVID-19Environmental law and policy enforcementSustainable soil management (SSM)