IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature

Co-Chairs: Ian Hannam and Du Qun

The CEL Specialist Group on Sustainable Use of Soils was formed in April 2000. The Group has been implementing the ‘Soil Resolution’ passed by the World Conservation Congress (WCC) in 2000 by developing national legal guidelines and explanatory material and investigations into a global legal instrument for sustainable use of soils.

A further Soil Resolution passed at WCC in Bangkok in November 2004 supplements the 2000 Resolution.

The Co-Chairs of the Group are Dr Ian Hannam from Australia and Professor Du Qun from China. Professor Ben Boer from Australia was the inaugural Chair and remains an active Group member. Group Members come from Iceland, Germany, USA, New Zealand, Australia, Great Britain, Egypt and Belgium. Professor Antonio Herman Benjamin, Brazil, is the Group’s Liaison Officer with the CEL Steering Committee. Two new additions to the Group in the past year include Professor Rob Fowler from Australia and Dr Bernard Vanheusden from Belgium. The Group also has an ongoing working relationship with a group of international soil scientists.

Global interest continues to grow in the investigation of an international instrument for soil and there are new initiatives in regional and national soil legislation and policy reforms (i.e. Balkans; Central Asia). The draft Soil Protocol for the Protection and Sustainable Use of Soil (SP) prepared by the Specialist Group was discussed at various international soil conservation forums and at two MEA Secretariats.

In October 2006 Professor Boer made a presentation to a soil science conference in Ascona, Switzerland and delegates were interested in the underlying soil scientific values for the development of a sound legal instrument.

In October-November 2006 Dr Hannam visited the ELC in Bonn Germany to revise the draft SP and a first draft of a commentary to the SP including legal and scientific background to each draft Article was prepared.

In November 2006 Ian Hannam met with Mr Gregoire de Kalbermatten (Executive Secretary UNCCD) and Mr de Vanssay (from Committee on Science and Technology UNCCD) to follow up on various soil legislation items that had been raised at the International Soil Conservation Organization Congress in Marrakech, Morocco in June 2006. Mr de Kalbermatten outlined suggestions for developing further legislative supportive tools to support the UNCCD synthesis process.

In November 2006 Professor Boer made a presentation to the CBD Secretariat in Montreal on the draft SP with encouraging support.

In April 2007 a joint presentation was made to the American Law Institute-American Bar Association seminar on International Environmental Law in April 2007 by Professor Boer and Mr Bill Futrell. The concept of the draft SP and various national soil law issues were presented, including specific USA soil conservation issues. Bill Futrell has been active in communications on the 2007 Farm Bill and developing a continuing legal education course on international environmental law – sponsored by the American Law Institute-American Bar Association Committee for Continuing Legal Education, of which soil law will be a part.

Other activities include the commencement of an Environmental Policy and Law Paper (EPLP) on legal and policy issues managing land degradation in China, which will be the third EPLP on ‘Soil Law’. This is a cooperative effort between the IUCN ELC, Specialist Group members and Chinese environmental lawyers including Co-Chair Professor Du Qun.

In September 2007 a number of Specialist Group members participated in the International Forum ‘Soils, Society and Climate Change’ in Iceland. The Forum is a key part of the celebration of the Icelandic Soil Conservation Service centenary and there was a working group to discuss capacity building approaches to legislative and policy issues for soil management.

Discussions are also continuing with officials in the Balkans on an investigation into soil conservation laws and regulations in the region.