Webinar on soil governance and launch of SoiLEX 13 January 2021 | 15:00 to 16:30 CET online (Zoom platform). Mr Hugo Bourhis, International Consultant, FAO GSP

1. Global Soil Partnership efforts to
promote soil governance from the
global to the national level
Hugo Bourhis, GSP Secretariat

2. Improving governance for
sustainable soil management
“Governance at all levels is defined by the processes
through which public and private actors articulate
their interests; frame and prioritize issues; and make,
implement, monitor and enforce decisions”.
FAO

3. Global Soil Partnership (GSP)
• In the absence of a formal mechanism
advocating for sustainable soil
management, the GSP was established in
2012. It aims to develop a strong interactive
partnership to position soils in the global
agenda and ensure its governance by all
stakeholders.
• Its mission is to promote sustainable soil
management through collective action to
guarantee healthy soils everywhere.

4. Improving governance for
sustainable soil management
GSP covers numerous aspects of soil governance:
• Strengthening policy and legal frameworks on soils;
• Raising awareness on soils and promoting sustainable soil
management;
• Facilitating the implementation of the legal framework with
reliable scientific data and information;
• Promoting capacity development by facilitating knowledge
sharing and skills acquisitions;
• Supporting multi-stakeholders platforms and partnerships
to develop consensus.

5. GSP’s normative documents
20172015 2019

6. Revised World Soil Charter
• Updating the principles
established by the FAO in 1981
according to the new reality
• Key principles to promote soil
protection and sustainable soil
management
• Endorsed by FAO members in
2015

7. Revised World Soil Charter
• Presented the top four barriers
identified to the sustainable soil
conservation:
• Availability of funds
• Lack of awareness
• Absence or inadequate policies
on soil protection
• Absence of monitoring system
• Lack of short term benefits was
also presented as a a hindrance
to soil protection

8. Voluntary Guidelines for
Sustainable Soil Management
Soil erosion
Soil organic carbon loss
Soil biodiversity loss
Pollution
Acidification
Nutrient imbalances
Salinization/alkalinization
Waterlogging
Compaction
Sealing
It translates the principles of the
Revised World Soil Charter into concrete
actions to prevent, control and
minimize the ten major threats to soil
health

9. GSP's efforts to raise awareness
of the importance of soils
• Establishment of UN World Soil
Day, which is held annually on 5
December and generates
growing public interest in soil
and its preservation.
• 650 million people were reached
in 2019.

10. GSP’s efforts to improve soil data and
information
• Only improving our knowledge of soils
can we strengthen the response to
preserve them.
• The development of new knowledge,
reliable and harmonized data and
information (e.g. GLOSIS and GLOSOLAN)
allow to understand the status of soils
and monitor the changes.
• Building capacities at national level
facilitates the implementation of
concrete policies and action plans

11. GSP’s efforts to provide guidelines for
sustainable soil management
Non-binding documents and
technical guidelines developed by
the GSP can be translated into
effective actions through:
- the development of regulations
- awareness-raising programmes
- soil monitoring systems
- concrete activities addressing the
major national soil threats

12. Soil Legislation
• Soil legislation are currently
difficult to find on platforms
such as FAOLEX and ECOLEX
due to the wide variety of
topics they address.
• Are all these 24000+
instruments relevant to soils?
• Which ones are the most
important ones for each
country?

13. How to facilitate the search for national soil legal
instruments and the understanding of the different
legal areas relevant to soil management and
protection?

14. SoiLEX
Global database on national legislation on soil
protection, conservation and restoration

15. SoiLEX
• SoiLEX is an online global database with 4 objectives:
• Support the development of adequate soil legislation
as a contribution to sustainable soil management;
• Enhance the capacity of national, regional, local
authorities and other stakeholders in soil legislation;
• Develop new knowledge, documenting existing good
practices, identifying and adapting tools in relevance
to soil threats;
• Empower civil society by giving them access to
legislative materials;

16. SoiLEX
The website features 14
keywords related to soil
protection:
• Soil Conservation
• Soil Restoration
• Soil Quality
• Soil Monitoring
• 10 Soil Threats

17. SoiLEX
• More than 1745 documents
from 175 countries are
currently present on the
platform.
• Users will find a catalogue of
national legal instruments
under each keyword,
providing a central source of
information contributing to
research and comparative
analysis.

18. SoiLEX
The legal instruments can
be searched by soil
keywords and by country,
thereby facilitating the
understanding of national
soil legal frameworks.

19. SoiLEX
• The SoiLEX database will also serve as a catalyst for
future research and cooperation on soil legislation.
• On the basis of the information available on SoiLEX,
it will thus be possible to identify the main gaps in
the legal frameworks for soil protection, identify
and replicate successful experiences, and to explore
options for strengthening soil regulatory
frameworks.

20. SoiLEX questionnaire
This platform has taken advantage of the information
contained in FAOLEX and the EU Soil Wiki, which has
been validated as relevant and up-to-date by the GSP
focal points through a questionnaire.

21. SoiLEX questionnaire outcomes
• 82 responses were received from the national level;
• More than 1100 documents have been validated by
national experts to be relevant and up-to-date;
• 285 new legal instruments have been added to the
SoiLEX and FAOLEX platforms following the
responses received.

22. Way forward
• Constantly update the SoiLEX database on the basis
of national responses so that the platform is as
accurate and up to date as possible to reflect the
legal framework of each country.
• Carry out thematic and country studies on specific
aspects of soil legislation and its implementation
to:
• Develop new knowledge,
• Document existing good practices and,
• Encourage the exchanges of experiences in soil
governance among countries and regions.