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Soils are increasingly recognised as a cornerstone of sustainable development, climate resilience, and biodiversity conservation. They serve as the foundation for terrestrial ecosystems, agricultural productivity, and the regulation of global biogeochemical cycles. Yet, in international environmental law, soils remain conceptually marginal and institutionally fragmented. No dedicated treaty or comprehensive legal regime exists to protect or govern soils holistically. Instead, soils are addressed indirectly and unevenly across a patchwork of multilateral environmental agreements—most notably, the three Rio Conventions adopted in the wake of the 1992 Earth Summit: the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). This chapter explores the evolving treatment of soils across these three Conventions, with a focus on the outcomes of the 2024–2025 Conferences of the Parties (COPs). It examines the extent to which soil-related objectives are being integrated across the climate, biodiversity, and land degradation agendas, drawing on the normative framing of the 2024 United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) Resolution 6/14 and the Pact for the Future adopted by the UN General Assembly. In so doing, the chapter identifies emerging synergies, persistent gaps, and potential legal entry points for greater cross-regime coherence. Rather than offering prescriptive recommendations, the chapter adopts a descriptive-analytical approach to assess institutional dynamics and legal language. It argues that while high-level aspirations around land restoration and soil health have gained momentum, the operationalisation of these goals remains uneven. Institutional integration across the Rio Conventions is still largely superficial, constrained by distinct mandates, differing legal architectures, and a lack of common monitoring frameworks. Nevertheless, soils present a compelling site for rethinking interlinkages across environmental regimes, offering an opportunity to cultivate more holistic and integrated approaches to global land stewardship.

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Fertile Ground or Barren Policy? Evaluating Cross-Convention Approaches to Soil Protection

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年

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  • Tejas Rao

摘要

Soils are increasingly recognised as a cornerstone of sustainable development, climate resilience, and biodiversity conservation. They serve as the foundation for terrestrial ecosystems, agricultural productivity, and the regulation of global biogeochemical cycles. Yet, in international environmental law, soils remain conceptually marginal and institutionally fragmented. No dedicated treaty or comprehensive legal regime exists to protect or govern soils holistically. Instead, soils are addressed indirectly and unevenly across a patchwork of multilateral environmental agreements—most notably, the three Rio Conventions adopted in the wake of the 1992 Earth Summit: the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). This chapter explores the evolving treatment of soils across these three Conventions, with a focus on the outcomes of the 2024–2025 Conferences of the Parties (COPs). It examines the extent to which soil-related objectives are being integrated across the climate, biodiversity, and land degradation agendas, drawing on the normative framing of the 2024 United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) Resolution 6/14 and the Pact for the Future adopted by the UN General Assembly. In so doing, the chapter identifies emerging synergies, persistent gaps, and potential legal entry points for greater cross-regime coherence. Rather than offering prescriptive recommendations, the chapter adopts a descriptive-analytical approach to assess institutional dynamics and legal language. It argues that while high-level aspirations around land restoration and soil health have gained momentum, the operationalisation of these goals remains uneven. Institutional integration across the Rio Conventions is still largely superficial, constrained by distinct mandates, differing legal architectures, and a lack of common monitoring frameworks. Nevertheless, soils present a compelling site for rethinking interlinkages across environmental regimes, offering an opportunity to cultivate more holistic and integrated approaches to global land stewardship.