The Critical Pathway
to Sustainable Development: from framework concept to conceptual framework. M. Staljanssens.
Published by the author, 2005, various paging’s. ISBN: 978-90-9021064-3.
Softcover.
The author has a long experience
in many parts of the world, and has developed in the course of time an
integrative approach to resource management. A relevant workshop manual was
published in 1995, and is now followed by the present reference book. It
discusses the implementation of an integrative concept of pro-active
decision-making in area-based land and sea resources management. The reader
interested in this subject will find a brief overview of historical change in
the field of land and water management, a summary of the reflection of the author
and his experiences with this integrative approach, and guidelines for the
implementation of the concept for sustainable development.
The book has the following parts
and chapters: Part I. Introduction.
Unfortunately, the book has no
index, while the paging is per chapter. This innovative book presents a wealth
of detailed data and information.
Price: EUR 30.00.
Orders to: Dr. M.
Staljanssens, Pelmolenstraat 78, NL-7511 SC Enschede, The Netherlands. Fax: +31-53-4311922.
Email: marc.staljanssens@aigx.be.
Field Guide Humus
Forms. Description and classification of humus forms for ecological
applications. B. van Delft, R. de Waal, R. Kemmers, and P. Mekkink. Translated from Dutch
by J. Sevink. Alterra, Wageningen
This field guide is an easily
accessible source of information on the description of humus forms and the
biological, physical and chemical processes involved. Focus is on an ecosystem
approach that considers the humus form as the link between living and
non/living nature. The guide starts with a chapter on the organic matter cycle
and its role in ecosystem functioning. It provides a description of the role of
the soil fauna and flora in the decomposition of organic matter and release of
nutrients. The second chapter describes how the humus form can be studied and
described in the field, and provides overall guidelines for the identification
and description of individual horizons. A key for the identification of these
horizons and a system for the description of these horizons are given in the
third chapter. Together, these allow for a standardized description of the
humus forms, irrespective of the type of ecosystem of physiographic unit
concerned. The last chapter gives information to the humus form classification
developed for the Dutch conditions, which can also be used in
Price: EUR 15.00.
Orders to: Alterra,
Soil Use and
Management. Volume 23, supplement 1, September 2007. Special issue on
Agriculture, Phosphorus, Eutrophication: a European Perspective. P. Withers and Ph.
Haygarth, guest editors. Blackwell Publishing, 204 p. ISSN 0266-0032, print;
ISSN 1473-2743, online.
The enrichment of European waters
with anthropogenic sources of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), and the
resulting impairment of water use for recreation, industry and drinking, has
become a major environmental issue in recent decades. Concern over
eutrophication first emerged in
With the introduction of the EU
Water Framework Directive in 2000, there is now a legislative framework to
implement catchment controls over P inputs to EU waters from all sources,
including those from agriculture. Controls over transfers of P from
agricultural land have been judged a necessary part of the integrated catchment
management needed to achieve the good ecological status demanded by
Orders to: Blackwell Publishing, Journal Customer Services. Fax:
+44-1865-471775. Email: customerservices@oxon.blackwellpublishing.com. In
Management of
Tropical
In contrast to the unproductive
sandy soils of arid and desert regions that most people associate with, the
light textured soils in the humid and semi-humid tropics are highly productive
and of significant economic importance to many nations worldwide, supporting
large numbers of people. These soils were once covered by climax forests with
highly efficient ecosystems that have to a large extent been cleared for
alternative use. The question that arises is – are current changed land use
practices sustainable and for how long? This was the driver for the development
of the symposium, which was held under the auspices of the IUSS and organized
by L’Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD, France) and the Land
Development Department (LDD,
The book with proceedings starts
with the welcoming addresses and two key note addresses. Oral papers were
presented in the following sessions; Session 1. Global extent of tropical sandy
soils and their pedogenesis (6 papers); session 2. Socio-economic imperatives
(2 papers); session 3. Chemical properties and their effect on productivity (10
papers); session 4. Physical properties of tropical sandy soils (9 papers);
session 5. The role of organic matter and biological activity (9 papers);
session 6. The management of these agro-ecosystems (17 papers); session 7.
Successes and failures: stakeholders and development agencies perspectives in
enhancing the livelihoods of communities on light textured sandy soil (7
papers). The 34 poster presentations conclude this book.
Requests to: Dr. Yuji Niino, FAO
Regional Office,
Unser Boden. Wir stehen drauf! Eine Initiative von
Landeshauptmann Dr. Erwin Pröll. DVD Video 15 Minuten. Herausgeber, Autor und
Medieninhaber: Abteilung Landentwickung, Amt der Niederösterreichischen
Landesregierung, St. Pölten, 2007.
This video pays attention to the
different uses of the soil in
The text of the major part of the
video is in German and English. The rest of the video is in German and contains
a film made at the start of a special programme for school children in some
communities on Soil Day (13 April 2007).
For more information about the
project and various activities of the Soil and Land Alliance, visit the website
www.soil-alliance.org.
Fertilizing for High
Yield and Quality. CEREALS. IPI Bulletin 17.
J. Wibberley. International Potash Institute, Horgen, 2006, 177 p. ISBN
978-3-9523243-0-1. Softcover.
Small-grain cereals include wheat,
barley, oats, rye, triticale, some millets and rice. All cereals make up a high
proportion of most human diets (typically half daily intake and, in developing
countries, even higher) and thus have a strategic place in many farming systems
internationally. The present Bulletin has eight chapters covering: the global
importance of these cereals; botany and physiology of these cereals; the role
of plant nutrients in cereal physiology; nutrient requirements; cereal nutrient
management and agro-ecology; effects of fertilizer use on yield and quality of
small-grain cereals; cereals in rotation-integrated nutrition and protection;
fertilizer and nutrient management practices.
Price: USD 10.00.
Orders to: IPI,
Geoderma. Volume
140, no. 4. 15 August 2007. pp. 323-456. Special Issue Pedometrics 2005. S. Grunwald,
D.J. Brown and P. Govaerts, editors. Elsevier. ISSN 0016-7061.
This is the 8th special
issue on pedometrics following the tradition to publish papers presented at
Pedometrics meetings. This issue includes a subset of papers presented at the
Meeting of Commission 1.5 Pedometrics of the IUSS. The meeting “Frontiers in
Pedometrics” was held in September
Orders to: In the
Geoderma Special
Issue: Fractal Geometry Applied to Soil and Related Hierarchical Systems.
Geoderma, volume 134, nos. 3-4, October 2006
pp 237-452. Y. Pachepsky, E.
Perfect and M.A. Martín, guest-editors. Elsevier,
Fractal geometry has long been
advocated as a better representation of complex porous media as compared with
simple Euclidean models based on straight lines and circle arcs. Twenty-five
years of applications of fractal geometry in soil science showed the utility of
this geometrical model in describing soil structure and texture, in simulating
soil hydraulic properties and parameters of contaminant transport, in
discriminating between soils under different management, and in compressing
measurement from data-rich advanced measurement technologies, such as laser
diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy, computer-assisted tomography, and
remote sensing, into meaningful and management-sensitive parameters. Fractal
geometry is currently one of the best tools to address extreme events and rare
occurrences that control changes of soil properties with scale. Recent
developments in this field, including the application of information theory and
multifractals to characterize natural hierarchical systems, were explored at
the 6th International Workshop on "Fractal Mathematics Applied to Soil and
Related Heterogeneous Systems" (PEDOFRACT 2004), which took place on July
2-6, 2004, at El Barco de Avila,
Orders to: In the
Yakov Pachepsky,
Water for food.
Water for life. A comprehensive assessment of water management in agriculture. D. Mollen, editor.
International Water Management Institute,
Managing water resources is one of
the most challenges of our times – fundamental to how we feed 2 billion more
people in coming decades. eliminate poverty, and reverse ecosystem degradation.
This book, involving more than 700 specialists, evaluates current thinking on
water and its interplay with agriculture to help chart the way forward. It
offers actions for water management and water policy – to ensure more equitable
and effective use. This assessment describes key water-food-environment trends
that influence our lives today and uses scenarios to explore the consequences
of a range of potential investments. It aims to inform investors and
policymakers about water and food choices in light of such crucial influences
as poverty, ecosystems, governance, and productivity. It covers rainfed agriculture,
irrigation, groundwater, marginal-quality water, fisheries, livestock, rice,
land, and river basins. Ample tables, graphs, and references make this a very
useful work for practitioners, academics, researchers, and policymakers in
water management, agriculture, conservation, and development.
Price: GBP 34.95, softcover; GBP
95.00, hardcover.
Orders to: Earthscan,
Voices from the
Shifting cultivation, swidden, or
slash-and-burn agriculture, has a bad reputation. It is frequently viewed as a
major contributor to deforestation, land degradation, and recently, to
widespread smog in
These cultivation systems refer to
a multiplicity of different fallow and rotational arrangements, associated with
a tremendous cultural diversity. It is not surprising, therefore, that the
responses to these pressures and opportunities have also been highly variable
and on occasions, quite ingenious. There exist many successful systems of
indigenous intensification, but they have never been systematically reviewed at
the scale of the present book. A description and analysis of the multitude of
these strategies would provide useful insights and directions for researchers
and development practitioners alike, working on either avoiding or repairing
the environmental, social, and economic problems resulting from the
destabilization of shifting cultivation.
The book illustrates the enormous
diversity of shifting cultivation systems and provides a striking testimony to
human ingenuity. It sets out six fallow management typologies and presents case
studies of each. The chapters show the richness of farmer experimentation and
adaptation, and the frequency of complex or multiple systems within the same
agroecosystem. More than 100 scholars from 22 countries, including agronomists,
agricultural economists, ecologists, and anthropologists, collaborate in the
analyses of different fallow management technologies. These have, in turn,
worked closely with a cast of thousands of indigenous farmers of different
cultures in a broad range of climate, crops and soil conditions. The book,
which is limited to the Asia-Pacific region, has the following parts. Part I:
Introduction (3 papers); Part II: Retention or promotion of volunteer species
with economic or ecological value (10 papers); Part III: Shrub-based
accelerated fallows (6 papers); Part IV: Herbaceous legume fallows (4 papers);
Part V: Dispersed tree-based fallows (10 papers); Part VI: Perennial-annual
crop rotations (6 papers); Part VII: Agroforests (14 papers); Part VIII: Across
systems and typologies (9 papers); Part IX: Themes: property rights, markets and
institutions (6 papers); and Part X: Conclusions. The book has 68 colour plates
and closes with a botanical index, an index of nearly 100 ethnic groups living
in the region, and a subject index.
Price: USD 50.00 softcover; USD
100.00 hardcover.
Orders to:
Pedological
Biogeochemistry. O.K. Borggaard and B. Elberling. Department of Natural Sciences and
Department of Geography and Geology,
The subject of this book is soil
chemistry, i.e. the composition of soil air, soil solution and soil mineral and
organic solids, and the interactions between these phases. The book’s title emphasizes
the importance of interacting biological and geochemical processes to
understand soil genesis. Sustainable soil use requires appropriate knowledge
about how different soils respond to various perturbations, which in turn,
necessitates profound understanding of composition and properties of various
soils. The soils considered in this book represent the soils of the World,
although examples in the text are biased towards Danish soils. The first
chapter gives an overview of basic pedology and includes definitions of soil
terms, soil composition and components, and an outline of soil formation and
classification with an introduction to Soil Taxonomy. The following 4 chapters
discuss soil organic matter, soil minerals, soil solution and soil air. Mineral
weathering is discussed in chapter 6, soil acidification in chapter 7,
non-specific adsorption and specific adsorption are described in chapters 8 and
9. Soil salinization is considered in chapter 10, and the book closes with a
chapter about redox processes. The book has many figures and tables.
Interactive figures have been produced to provide possibilities for users to
work with complex aspects of soil science. These figures can be found on the
internet.
The book is specifically written
for students interested in soil chemistry and pedology, but many students in
related disciplines as well as professionals that need information about soils
and soil processes will find this volume useful.
Price: EUR 70.00; USD 95.00,
including packing and postage.
Orders to: Prof. Ole K. Borggaard,
Department of Natural Sciences,
European Journal of
Soil Science. Volcanic Soils – Thematic Issue. P. Buurman and C. Regalado, guest
editors. Volume 58, no 2. April 2007. pp 355-515. Blackwell Publishing.
ISSN: 1351-0754, print; 1365-2389,
online.
Although volcanic soils are
widespread throughout
Orders to: Blackwell Publishing,
Journal Customer Services. Fax: +44-1865-471775. Email:
customerservices@oxon.blackwellpublishing.com. In
European Journal of
Soil Science. Molecular Methods – Thematic Issue. M.H. Gerzabek, G. Haberhauer,
K.-U. Totsche and D. Tunega, editors. Volume 58, no. 4. August 2007. pp
867-988. Blackwell Publishing. ISSN 1351-0754, print; 1365-2389, online.
Today, soil science is
increasingly confronted with societal-driven research questions that cannot be
answered by tools and techniques specifically developed for the typical spatial
and temporal scale of soil research – the plot and bench scale and hours to
years, respectively. Over the last two decades soil research has become ever
more open to the macroscale, which involves remote sensing, geo-statistics and
global modelling approaches. At the same time, it has also accessed the micro-
and nano-scale, driven by the necessity
to explore biogeochemical interfaces in soils at a molecular or even atomic
level. These considerations led to an interest in the development of a more
general understanding of the relationships between molecular characteristics of
solutes and their interactions with biogeochemical interfaces in soils. Key
elements of this endeavour include characterization and quantification of the
molecular functionality and abundance of reaction sites of biogeochemical
interfaces and their chemical activity. The
10 papers in this issue are organized into three groups. The first group
represents papers in which quantum chemical methods are applied to treat specific
problems related to soil chemistry. The second group covers the application of
simulation methods based on combining molecular dynamics with classical
molecular mechanics, where interatomic interactions are expressed via empirical
formulas. This approach is often called the force-field approach. The third
group consists of two papers focusing on experimental methods.
Orders to: Blackwell Publishing,
Journal Customer Services. Fax: +44-1865-471775. Email:
customerservices@oxon.blackwellpublishing.com. In
Soils. Basic Concepts and Future
Challenges. G. Cerini and R. Scalengue, editors. Cambridge University Press,
This book pays homage to Professor
Fiorenzo C. Ugolini, an outstanding Italian soil scientist, who recently
retired from university teaching and research. It is a synthesis of our present
knowledge of soils, their genesis, functions and management. The book includes
contributions from leading soil scientists from around the world and provides
the basis concepts as well as the latest data and practical examples from
across the discipline, including also many issues that are usually overlooked
in other treatments. The book also discusses the increasingly important role of
soils in enabling the preservation of life. Chapter 1 changes in perceptions of
soils and their classification are explored. Chapter 2 discusses soil forming
processes. Chapters 3 to 7 contain information about the different soil phases.
The inorganic fractions of the soil are treated in chapter 3; soil organic
matter in chapter 4; the liquid phase is discussed in chapter 5, the gaseous
phase in chapter 6, the living phase follows in chapter 7. After the State
Factor theory of soil formation is discussed in chapter 8, the different
factors of soil formation are treated in chapters 9 to 14. Soil functions and
land use is discussed in chapter 15; physical and chemical degradation of soils
in chapters 16 and
Price: GBP 70.00.
Orders to:
directcustserve@cambridge.org.
Internet: www.cambridge.org. Or:
Soils. Genesis and
Geomorphology. R. Schaetzl and
In this comprehensive and
accessible handbook the authors introduce the building blocks of the soil in
Part I. They continue adding to the basic knowledge base in Part II (chapters
8-12), but add a great deal more material on theory and soil genesis/processes.
In chapter 11, for example, a large dose of pedogenic and geomorphic theory is
introduced, which in combination with the previous chapters allows to discuss
soil genesis and pedogenic processes at length in chapter 12. Knowledge of soil
genesis provides important information to scientists who classify them.
Finally, considerable attention is given to examining soil landscapes over time
and how soils can be used as dating tools and as keys to past environments.
Part III is the synthesis section, for within it the authors pull together
concepts introduced previously and apply them to problems of dating landscapes
and understanding their evolution. Lateral flows of materials and energy link
soil bodies to adjoining ones on the landscape, helping to reinforce the
three-dimensional component. The use of many block diagrams shows the need for
a holistic perspective on soils within the landscape. The book has a North
American focus, but contains many data and examples of soil studies from
outside this continent. As such, it can be a useful book for the global soils
community. The book is well-illustrated with many clear figures, tables and few
photographs. With over 80 pages references and a useful glossary of 50 pages
and an extensive index, it is completed.
Price: GBP 45.00; USD 85.00.
Orders to:
The Soils of
When preparing my first trip to
Israel, to attend the Aridic Soils meeting
in 1981 - held under the able leadership of Prof. Dan Yaalon a.o. -, I
got hold of one of the few books about the soils in this country. It was
written by A. Reifenberg, published in 1947 as a second edition, and was
entitled “The Soils of Palestine”. I also obtained a 1: 600.000 generalized soil
map, published in 1955. Although much valuable soil research and extensive soil
surveys have been carried out in Israel, and reported on at meetings, in
scientific and other journals, a new book, at least in English, as a follow-up
of Reifenberg’s book, was not published until the present book appeared. This
book gives a concise description of the soils of
This is a welcome addition to your
and my library!
Price: EUR 99.95; USD 139.00.
Orders to: Springer Customer
Service, Haberstrasse 7, D-69162
Hans
van Baren, Wageningen, The Netherlands
Fertilizer Best
Management Practices. International Fertilizer Industry Association, Paris,
2007, vi + 299 p. ISBN 2-9523139-2-X. Softcover.
This publication is a compilation
of the papers presented at the IFA International Workshop on Fertilizer Best
Management Practices (FBMPs), held in
The publication can be downloaded
from IFA’s website: www.fertilizer.org.
For a paper copy contact: IFA, 28, rue Marbeuf, F-75008 Paris, France. Fax:
+33-1-539305-45. Email: publications@fertilizer.org.
Sustainable
Management of the Nitrogen Cycle in Agriculture and Mitigation of Reactive
Nitrogen Side Effects. IFA Task Force on Reactive Nitrogen.
International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA), Paris, 2007, vi + 53 p.
ISBN 2-9523139-1-1.
Softcover.
Nitrogen (N) is a vital element
for life. It is an essential component of all proteins and of DNA. On Earth
there are two pools of N, with relatively little exchange between them: the
gaseous dinitrogen (N2) of the atmosphere, which makes up about 99% of total N,
and the 1% of N that is chemically bound to other elements, such as carbon (C),
hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) and has been described as “reactive nitrogen”, for
its tendency to react with other elements. Gaseous N2 is almost inert and
cannot used directly by most plants. It requires a high energy input to covert
N2 into plant available, reactive N forms. The N cycle refers to the
circulation of N compounds through the Earth’s atmosphere, hydrosphere and
pedosphere. At various points in this cycle, reactive N compounds become
involved in processes that can affect human health and the environment in both
positive and negative ways. When improperly managed, N inputs can have adverse
effects on the environment and human health. Lack of reactive N leads to soil
fertility decline. , low yields and crop protein content, depleted soil organic
matter, etc. This booklet discusses the adoption of an integrated approach to
nutrient management maximizing the benefits and minimizing the risks associated
with the use of N sources, contributing to raising crop productivity and N use
efficiency.
The publication can be downloaded
from IFA’s website: www.fertilizer.org.
For a paper copy contact: IFA, 28, rue Marbeuf, F-75008 Paris, France. Fax:
+33-1-539305-45. Email: publications@fertilizer.org.
Les Grands Sols du
Monde (the Great Soils of the World). J-P. Legros. Presses
Polytechniques et Universitaires Romandes,
The aim of this publication is to
provide, in French, an overview of the diversity of soils on a global scale, an
insight in the processes of their formation and their distribution and an
understanding of the influence of their characteristics on their use and
protection. Of a total of fifteen
chapters the first chapter is devoted to definitions of nomenclature, concepts
and study methods which are essential for a full comprehension of the further
text. It is a refresher of general soil
science. Chapter two gives a detailed description of the factors of soil
formation. Next to the classical factors
of climate, parent material, time, relief and vegetation attention is also
given to human influence such as terracing, fertilization, liming, manuring,
irrigation, drainage, removal of stony material, polders, land leveling and
pollution.
The third chapter deals with the
basic theme of the book namely the ‘progressive subsidence’ (‘enfoncement
progressif’) in soil formation, a geochemical process which over time leads to
a sinking of the land surface to a lower level and the development of soil
horizons. Traditionally soil formation
is considered to consist of a transfer and movement of components such as iron,
aluminium, carbon, clay, calcium carbonate and salts through a skeleton of silt
and sand. It has mostly been overlooked
that the skeleton is progressively emptied of its substance, which results in
concentrations of residue and in soil collapse.
This alteration proceeds along weathering fronts and results in the horizontal
and lateral stratification of the soil profile.
The textural and chemical composition of the soil horizons develops not
only in function of internal movements and transfers but also in relation to
external export. These phenomena are
particularly observable in old soils of the intertropical zone but are also
present in younger soils of temperate areas.
The author suggests that this concept should be validated through
modelisation and numerical simulation.
He feels that a number of classical – sometimes dogmatic – theories of
soil formation need to be questioned.
Chapter four gives an overview of
the four systems of classification to which reference is made in the book: the
French ‘Commission de Pédologie et de Cartographie des Sols’ (CPCS, 1967), the
USDA Soil Taxonomy (ST, 1960-2006), the French Référentiel pédologique (RP,
1995) and the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB, 1998-2006). Each of the four systems is analyzed in terms
of their structure, nomenclature and criteria used for the differentiation of
the units. In spite of the different
approaches it appears that a certain congruence is emerging as reflected in the
World Reference Base for Soil Resources.
It is the latter system which the author uses for his review of the
great soils of the world although he frequently refers to units in the other
systems since these are still in use in current francophone literature. The ‘progressive subsidence’ applies
geochemistry and mineralogy to study the spatial organization of the world’s
soil pattern. The author acknowledges to
have given less attention to biology and organic matter issues which he
considers to have been dealt with sufficiently elsewhere.
Chapters five through fifteen deal
with clusters of the great soils of the world successively: 5, Ferralsols and
other soils of warm regions; 6, Vertisols; 7, Calcisols; 8, Cambisol-Luvisols
and Planosols; 9, Red Soils of Mediterranean and tropical dry areas; 10,
Andosols; 11, Podzolized soils; 12, Gleysols-Stagnosols; 13, Histosols; 14,
Solonchaks-Solonetz; 15, other soils.
Each of the chapters encompasses
information on soil characteristics, spatial distribution, genesis, age,
classification, agronomic and environmental notes. The coverage of the Ferralsols is very
elaborate, their being the lead example of ‘progressive subsidence’. The soil
collapse is estimated at
Each chapter is provided with an
extensive bibliography. The existence of
the FAO/Unesco ‘Soil Map of the World’ is briefly mentioned in the text. It is regretted that this publication is not
referred to in the bibliography since it is the basis of the WRB and offers a
cartographic synthesis of the great soils of the world (FAO, 1971-1981).
The publication is well supplied
with explanatory graphs and photographs.
An inlay of twelve pages of coloured photographs adds a field
perspective even though the captions do not consistently trace back to the text
of the study.
The ‘Great Soils of the World’ are
in the first instance addressed to bachelor/master students in soil science and
to those scientists who are especially involved in soil genesis and
classification. It will be of particular
interest to geographers, geologists and all those who are studying the
diversity and the chemical and mineralogical composition of the planet’s
skin. The author recommends that soils
be studied bottom upwards, from the lower alteration front to the overlying
residual layers. He suggests that this
approach may lead to reconcile geology and pedology and to rethinking the
classical hypotheses of soil formation and of their impact on soil
classification.
Price: EUR 61.60 plus taxes,
packing and postage. In
Orders to: Presses Polytechniques
et Universitaire Romandes, Case Postale 119, EPFL – Centre Midi, CH-1015
R. Dudal,
Interpreting Soil
Test Results. What do all the numbers mean? P. Hazelton and B. Murphy.
CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, 2007, 160 p. ISBN 978-0-64309-225-9. Softcover.
The first edition of this text was
written for officers in the then Soil Conservation Service of new South Wales,
Australia, who were expected to interpret and give advise on a wide variety of
soil management issues. In the present publication the original information has
been reviewed and revised. The data contains test results that are more wide
reaching than ever originally intended. The text is, therefore, useful for a
wider range of professionals from agriculturalists to engineers. The data
colleted shows the large volume and diversity of information needed by all
professionals who endeavour to provide advice on natural resources management.
The interpretations and values provided are not intended for specific advice on
particular problems or issues, but provide a general background on the variety
of soil tests available and how the results may be interpreted. All chapters
have lists of references and suggestions for further reading.
Price: AUD 59.95.
Orders to: CSIRO Publishing,
Soils on the Global
Agenda. Developing international mechanisms for sustainable land management. H. Hurni,
M. Giger and K. Meijer, editors. Published by Geographica Bernensia on behalf
of the IUSS, 2006, 64 p. ISBN 978-3-906151-93-X. Softcover.
A number of international
mechanisms have recently included soils as a natural resource of vital
importance. Be it for carbon sequestration, soil biodiversity preservation,
ecosystem services, as a basis for agricultural production, or simply a living
space soils have multiple functions that are vital to global sustainability.
The present publication assembles information and experiences from a number of
key stakeholders with a land management background. These specialists met in an
international symposium, discussed their experiences, and developed priorities
for further action in support of the World Soils Agenda, which was developed by
the IUSS Working Group IASUS: International Actions for the Sustainable Use of
Soils. Concrete actions are here proposed for improving international
mechanisms in support of sustainable land management. It is hoped that the
proposals in this well-written and lavishly illustrated publication will be
picked up by policy makers and politicians, and that funding will come forward
for further action. To achieve the goals, a wide distribution, especially
outside the soil science community, is needed.
Requests to: Centre for
Development and Environment,
This book highlights the global
extent of land degradation, quantifies current SLM investments and identifies
SLM priorities, opportunities, and challenges in the face of significant but
unpredictable climate change.
Price: GBP 11.50.
Orders to: Eurospan Group,
Evaporation.
Selection, Introduction and Commentaries. Benchmark Papers in Hydrology.
J.H.C. Gash and W.J. Shutteworth. International Association of Hydrological
Sciences, 2007, x + 432 p. ISBN 978-901502-98-5. Softcover.
This volume in the new series of
the IAHS is also of interest to soil scientists. The development of evaporation
measurement techniques are documented first, commencing with the Wagon Wheel
Gap catchment water balance (1921), through mass budget to water transfer
methods, and use of scintillometry. Dalton’s seminal essay On Evaporation
(1802) starts the selection of papers on evaporation estimation, which then
covers atmospheric controls on the evaporation process (the original Penman and
Thornthwaite papers are reproduced), vegetation controls via transpiration and
interception, and finally evaporation as a component of the global climate
system. The Commentaries explain the context and significance of each of these
important papers.
Price: GBP 40.00.
Orders to: Mrs. Jill Gash, IAHS
Press, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology,
[1] The New
Publication section is prepared by Hans van Baren (hans.vanbaren@wur.nl).
Should you have a publication
that you would like to have included in the next IUSS Bulletin, ask your
publisher to send a review copy to: ISRIC-IUSS, PO Box 353, 6700 AJ Wageningen,
The Netherlands.