Mapping Soil Governance in Your Context

Step 1 – Identify a Soil Issue in Your Region 

Choose one soil-related issue that is relevant in your region: 

• Urban soil sealing 

• Agricultural soil erosion 

• Contaminated land 

• Loss of soil organic matter 

• Flooding linked to land use 

• Desertification or land degradation 

Keep this issue in mind for the next steps. 

Step 2 – Explore National Soil Legislation (FAO SoilLEX) 

To better understand how soil is governed nationally, use the FAO SoilLEX database: 

👉 https://www.fao.org/soilex/en/ 

SoilLEX is a global database of national soil-related legislation and policies. 

Reflect Briefly – Soil Diary 

• Does your country have a specific soil protection law? 

• Is soil regulation comprehensive or fragmented across different legal areas? 

• If you are in the EU, how might this relate to Directive (EU) 2025/2360? 

Step 3 – Map Governance Across Levels 

Using your chosen issue and your SoilLEX findings, describe how this issue is governed across levels. 

Forum Discussion 

Post a short summary: 

At which level do you think the greatest influence on soil outcomes occurs in your example — and why? 

Explore and compare your findings with a participant from another country. 

Click “Complete” when you have uploaded your post in forum.