Developing international soil law: Institutional analysis and policy recommendations

The pressure of use on soil resources is continuously increasing and the state of soil is declining worldwide. Soil-specific regulations or management approaches in international law have remained relatively scarce compared to other environmental areas.

The project „Developing international soil law: Institutional analysis and policy recommendations“ funded by the German Federal Environmental Agency shed light on the necessity and possibilities for improvement of international legal regulations on soil protection.

First, the project team identifies within an institutional analysis, relevant international norms, standards and institutions, and evaluates their steering effects on soil protection. Then, the potential steering power of the international law level is considered, addressing the question of what international law can and should contribute to global soil protection. On this basis, the project provides concrete recommendations for the further development of international soil protection law. The project is accompanied by ad-hoc consultation and an international symposium.