Soil forms a thin and yet vital membrane covering the non-submerged surface of our planet. It drives the
carbon, nitrogen and water cycles upon which life on earth depends and is home to an immense diversity of
species, all of which contribute invaluable, life-giving services to society.

But soil is as fragile as it is abundant. A growing human population is driving increased demands for food,
bre and fuel which is in turn putting an unsustainable strain on the world’s soils. So much so that, today, up
to 33 percent of land is moderately to highly degraded due to erosion, salinization, compaction, acidication,
and chemical and other contaminants of soils.

The health of soils is nally gaining the needed attention in global and national discussions, most notably in
its inclusion in the Sustainable Development Goals under target 15.3 (Land Degradation Neutrality) and other
global targets set under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertication.

Dryland soils make an important contribution—roughly one third—to global stocks of soil biodiversity and soil
organic carbon, and they can contribute strongly to global food production and to climate change mitigation.
They account for 42% of the world’s land, providing 44% of all cultivated land and 50% of the world’s
livestock. Drylands are particularly valuable for carbon storage due to their high degree of permanence—the
duration that carbon is stored in the soil—compared to humid areas.

Soil Biodiversity and Soil Organic Carbon: Keeping Drylands Alive builds on the growing discourse on
soil stewardship and further strengthens the underlying message that soil is a public good which requires
economic valuation and related institutional arrangements to protect it for the overall welfare of society. This
technical brief outlines a number of operational considerations, drawing-upon practical experiences and
lessons from across the globe, and demonstrates that a multitude of development wins could be gained from
sustainable land management.