Sustainable Soil and Land-Use Management in the Anthropocene.

Sustainable Soil and Land-Use Management in the Anthropocene Klaus Lorenz, Jes Weigelt, Rattan Lal, Klaus Töpfer There is a wealth of scientific knowledge on sustainable soil management to cope with pressures caused by increasing human demands and imminent environmental changes. However, implementation of management practices has been proven difficult as top-down approaches by experts and researchers may fail because these practices are often difficult to apply under site-specific situations. Thus, bottom-up approaches with participation of different stakeholders are needed to design and implement soil and land-use management practices with due consideration to bio-physical and socio economic and cultural factors. A trans-disciplinary approach is specifically needed to integrate scientific knowledge with practical technology. Experts from the environmental, economic and social disciplines must interact in an open discussion and dialogue to identify methods of alleviating constraints and promote judicious use of soils for sustainable development. Trans-disciplinarity is, therefore, the guiding principle adopted by the Global Soil Forum (GSF) founded in 2011 at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), Potsdam, Germany. The Forum acts as research network, platform, knowledge synthesizer and disseminator, process facilitator, and a voice in policy discussions. The GSF creates and strengthens links between science and policy. Activities of the Forum are guided by a high-level international Steering Committee. The main activity in 2012 is the inauguration of the Global Soil Week. It is an annual meeting of experts, scientists and stakeholders across disciplines with focus on soils and their sustainable management. The Global Soil Week is the contribution of the GSF to the Global Soil Partnership of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The first Global Soil Week will be held in Berlin from 18th -22nd November, 2012. Additional information is available at www.globalsoilweek.org