Soils in the Nexus () von Alexander Müller

Soils are crucial if we are to ensure water, energy and food security for nine billion people by 2050. Soils sustain biodiversity and if managed wisely contribute to the mitigation of climate change. At the same time, they are a non-renewable resource within human timeframes. Nevertheless, we continuously transform this resource in unsustainable ways. This manifests itself in the loss of approximately 24 billion tonnes of fertile soil each year due to erosion. Insecurity or loss of land rights among local populations is a further expression of often unsustainable development pathways. To overcome these challenges, we need to consider soils in an integrated and holistic manner: in the nexus. This book presents transdisciplinary perspectives and potential responses to soil-related challenges to sustainable development. In view of the International Year of Soils 2015, it provides insights into promising pathways towards the sustainable governance of soil and land.

Jes Weigelt coordinates the Global Soil Forum at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), focusing on transformations towards the sustainable management of global land and soil resources through multi-stakeholder processes.Alexander Müller is a Senior Fellow at the IASS. He was Assistant Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and State Secretary in the German Ministry for Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture.Charlotte Beckh is a Research Associate at the Global Soil Forum of the IASS and works on responsible land and soil governance and transdisciplinary exchange processes such as the Global Soil Week.Klaus Töpfer is Executive Director of the IASS. He was Federal Minister for the Environment and of Regional Planning and Urban Development. Until 2006 he was Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi.