Legal instruments to implement the objective "land degradation neutral world" in international law / by Susanne Altvater, Elizabeth Dooley and Ennid Roberts (Ecologic Institute, Berlin) ; on behalf of the Federal Environment Agency (Germany) ; study performed by: Ecologic Institute ; edited by: Section II 2.1 General Water and Soil Aspects Dr. Harald Ginzky

Abstract

The protection of fertile soils is a precondition for sustainable development. In the final document of the conference of the United Nations on sustainable development in June 2012 in Rio de Janeiro (Rio+20 Conference), the international community thus agreed to strive for a "land degradation neutral world". The legal study by Ecologic Institute, Berlin, firstly scrutinizes some national legislation (Germany/EU, USA and Brazil) in order to identify legal instruments which are suitable for the implementation of the goal of a "land degradation neutral world". Secondly, the legal study investigates whether and how, at national level, effective instruments could be put in place as international obligations.