Law Professor, inspired by IPBES Land Degradation and Restoration Assessment, proposes legally binding international instrument for soils and land management

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) Dr. Robert Fowler, a University of South Australia Professor of Law, has proposed a legally-binding international legal instrument for advancing Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) as part of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal target 15.3. In light of the stark findings of the IPBES Land Degradation and Restoration Assessment - and further evidence provided by the Global Assessment of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services - Fowler has proposed the adoption of Paris Agreement-like National Determined Contributions and mandatory review and reporting requirements within the United Nations Convention on Combating Desertification (UNCCD), the inclusion of sustainable soil use within the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) post-2020 biodiversity framework, and the development of a soil target within the forthcoming decadal biodiversity targets for 2021-2030. The Professor's forthcoming publication (Fowler and Hannam, "Critique of the Report “Improving International Soil Governance: Analysis and recommendations”) is expected for publication in the International Yearbook of Soils Law and Policy in late 2020.