Land: Soil
Background: policy
In a Better Quality of Life (May 1999) the Government made a commitment to ensure that soil protection received equal priority to that of air and water in the future.
- A Better Quality of Life - strategy for sustainable development for the UK - 1999 (Sustainable Development website)
The First Soil Action Plan for England was launched on 20 May 2004 setting out an ambitious programme of work to help move towards a clearly stated vision for the nation's soils.
One of the core actions included in the Soil Action Plan is for Defra to develop a programme of soils education and awareness, due to the widespread low level of understanding/knowledge among the public, teachers, and some of those working with soils (e.g. the construction industry, land managers, planners).
A further area we are committed to working on is the sustainable use and protection of soils in the built environment. The role of built environment soils is only now starting to be considered due to the raised profile of soil protection and use, and increased pressures on these soils.
There is much research and evidence gathering that has underpinned these developments.
There is also a European element to Government involvement in soils policy. The European Commission adopted the EU Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection in September 2006, including proposals for a Soil Framework Directive.
Work is currently ongoing to develop a Soil Strategy for England, to build on the success of the Soil Action Plan. It is our intention to go out for consultation on this during summer 2007.
Page last modified: 27 June 2007