World’s Soil Resources

However, a number of the country reports that contributed to this chapter emphasized that rapid socioeconomic
change and resulting changes in land use and its management, as well as climate change, have
had great impacts on the soil resources in Asian countries. Therefore, there is a need to conduct a new and
extensive assessment of changes in soil resources in the region.
Responding to this need, a regional conference on soil information was held in Nanjing, China, on
February 2012 to share the latest soil information and knowledge about advanced science and technologies
on soil resources in Asian region. The conference recognized the benefits to be gained from further sharing
of information and data on soil surveys, soil mapping and capacity development. The conference saw the
establishment of the initial Asia Soil Partnership (ASP) and the signing of the Nanjing Communiqué (GSP,
2012), which put the following goals as the priorities:
1. sharing and transferring soil knowledge and new technology within and beyond the region
2. providing soil information to all those with an interest in the sustainable use of soil and land resources
3. building consistent and updated Asian soil information systems and starting to contribute to the global
soil information system through initiatives such as GlobalSoilMap.net
4. training new generations of experts in soil science and land management
After the endorsement of the global Plans of Action in GSP, the next step in the Asian Region is the
development of the regional implementation plan for sustainable soil management, which can translate the
plans in the Nanjing Communiqué into practice.
Status of the World’s Soil Resources | Main Report Regional Assessment of Soil Changes
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in Asia