The Near East and North Africa (NENA) region has a land area of approximately 14.9 million km2, nearly all of which is hyper-arid, arid or semi-arid. The region faces three climatic constraints: aridity, recurrent drought, and desertification, the latter also in part human induced.. Large areas of Libya, Egypt, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are entirely desert Various aspects of soil change are discussed for the region. National case studies of soil change are presented for Iran and Tunisia.

The full report has been divided into sections and individual chapters for ease of downloading:

• Introductory information
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: The role of soils in ecosystem processes
• Chapter 3: Global Soil Resources
• Chapter 4: Soils and Humans
• Chapter 5: Drivers of global soil change
• Chapter 6: Global soil status, processes and trends
• Chapter 7: Soil change: impacts and responses
• Chapter 8: Governance and policy responses to soil change
• Chapter 9: Regional Assessment of Soil Changes in Africa South of the Sahara
• Chapter 10: Regional Assessment of Soil Change in Asia
• Chapter 11: Regional Assessment of Soil Changes in Europe and Eurasia
• Chapter 12: Regional Assessment of Soil Changes in Latin America and the Caribbean
• Chapter 13: Regional Assessment of Soil Changes in the Near East and North Africa
• Chapter 14: Regional Assessment of Soil Changes in North America
• Chapter 15: Regional Assessment of Soil Change in the Southwest Pacific
• Chapter 16: Regional Assessment of Soil Change in Antarctica
• Annex: Soil groups, characteristics, distribution and ecosystem services
• Glossary of Technical Terms
• Authors a nd affiliations

Also available: Technical Summary of the Status of the World’s Soil Resources.

Although Canada and the United States of America have a long history of collaborative research activity in soil science, there have been no previous attempts at a regional assessment of threats to soil functions. Nor are there any ongoing institutional arrangements that coordinate soil assessment or management across the two countries, unlike trans-border water issues – which are adjudicated by an International Joint Commission – or atmospheric issues, such as when cross-border problems with acidification were the focus of the Air Quality Agreement of 1991. Cross-border coordination is further complicated by the lack of a common soil classification system between the two countries. Various aspects of soil change are discussed for the region. A national case study for soil change in Canada is presented .

The full report has been divided into sections and individual chapters for ease of downloading:

• Introductory information
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: The role of soils in ecosystem processes
• Chapter 3: Global Soil Resources
• Chapter 4: Soils and Humans
• Chapter 5: Drivers of global soil change
• Chapter 6: Global soil status, processes and trends
• Chapter 7: Soil change: impacts and responses
• Chapter 8: Governance and policy responses to soil change
• Chapter 9: Regional Assessment of Soil Changes in Africa South of the Sahara
• Chapter 10: Regional Assessment of Soil Change in Asia
• Chapter 11: Regional Assessment of Soil Changes in Europe and Eurasia
• Chapter 12: Regional Assessment of Soil Changes in Latin America and the Caribbean
Chapter 13: Regional Assessment of Soil Changes in the Near East and North Africa
• Chapter 14: Regional Assessment of Soil Changes in North America
• Chapter 15: Regional Assessment of Soil Change in the Southwest Pacific
• Chapter 16: Regional Assessment of Soil Change in Antarctica
• Annex: Soil groups, characteristics, distribution and ecosystem services
• Glossary of Technical Terms
• Authors and affiliations

Also available: Technical Summary of the Status of the World’s Soil Resources.

Soils are now recognized to be in the ‘front line’ of global environmental change and we need to be able to predict how they will respond to changing climate, vegetation, erosion and pollution. Although only a thin layer of material at the Earth’s surface, soils like many interfaces play a pivotal role in regulating t he flow and transfer of mass and energy between the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere. Soils help regulate the Earth’s physical processes such as water and energy balances, and act as the biogeochemical engine at the heart of many of the Earth system cycles and processes on which life depends. All these phenomena are discussed in this chapter.

The full report has been divided into sections and individual chapters for ease of downloading:

• Introductory information
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: The role of soils in ecosystem processes
• Chapter 3: Global Soil Resources
• Chapter 4: Soils and Humans
• Chapter 5: Drivers of global s oil change
• Chapter 6: Global soil status, processes and trends
• Chapter 7: Soil change: impacts and responses
• Chapter 8: Governance and policy responses to soil change
• Chapter 9: Regional Assessment of Soil Changes in Africa South of the Sahara
• Chapter 10: Regional Assessment of Soil Change in Asia
• Chapter 11: Regional Assessment of Soil Changes in Europe and Eurasia
• Chapter 12: Regional Assessment of Soil Changes in Latin America and the Caribbean
• Chapter 13: Regional Assessment of Soil Changes in the Near East and North Africa
< li>Chapter 14: Regional Assessment of Soil Changes in North America
• Chapter 15: Regional Assessment of Soil Change in the Southwest Pacific
• Chapter 16: Regional Assessment of Soil Change in Antarctica
• Annex: Soil groups, characteristics, distribution and ecosystem services
Glossary of Technical Terms
• Authors and affiliations

Also available: Technical Summary of the Status of the World’s Soil Resources.