Our new report provides a comparative overview of the national soil protection regulations across all the key regions from Asia to Australia. We look at how different countries approach soil protection in practice and compare policies across regions.
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By bringing these examples together, the Safer Phosphates Foundation highlights both progress and remaining gaps.
Countries protect soil through different types of laws, policies, and regulations. While some nations have specific legislation focused on soil conservation, contamination prevention, and soil quality monitoring, others address soil protection through broader environmental, agricultural, or land-use policies.
One of the main findings of the Safer Phosphates Foundation's research is that soil protection is still handled in a fragmented way. Only a few countries have dedicated soil laws, with most relying on a mix combination of environmental, agricultural, and land-use policies. Despite these challenges, the report highlights several positive examples, including national soil monitoring programs, land restoration projects, and practical tools that help farmers improve soil health.
The report also shows that soil degradation and contamination are becoming increasingly important concerns, particularly regarding heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, mercury, and arsenic. At the same time, many countries still struggle with limited soil monitoring systems and gaps in reliable data, making it harder to track problems and develop effective policies. These challenges can only be addressed through interaction between governments, scientists, and farmers.
As President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote in 1937, 'The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself.' Today, these words are true not only for a nation, but for all of humanity. We need concerted global action to save our soils.
The Safer Phosphates Foundation invites non-governmental organizations (NGOs), researchers, agricultural stakeholders, and concerned citizens to use this report to disseminate best practices worldwide.
The full report is available for download here.
For further information, please contact: gensec@saferphosphates.com
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