Shabbir A. Shahid Faisal K. Taha Mahmoud A. Abdelfattah Editors Developments in Soil Classifi cation, Land Use Planning and Policy Implications Innovative Thinking of Soil Inventory for Land Use Planning and Management of Land Resources Developments in Soil Classi fi cation, Land Use Planning and Policy Implications Shabbir A. Shahid • Faisal K. Taha Mahmoud A. Abdelfattah Editors Developments in Soil Classi fi cation, Land Use Planning and Policy Implications Innovative Thinking of Soil Inventory for Land Use Planning and Management of Land Resources Editors Shabbir A. Shahid Faisal K. Taha International Center for Biosaline Agriculture International Center for Biosaline Agriculture Dubai , United Arab Emirates Dubai , United Arab Emirates Mahmoud A. Abdelfattah Soil and Land Use Management Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi , United Arab Emirates ISBN 978-94-007-5331-0 ISBN 978-94-007-5332-7 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-5332-7 Springer Dordrecht Heidelberg New York London Library of Congress Control Number: 2013931842 © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, speci fi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on micro fi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. 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While the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication, neither the authors nor the editors nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may be made. The publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) Foreword Productive and fertile soils are a scarce resource in the arid and especially in the hyperarid desert environments. Using an internationally accepted soil classi fi cation system is a prerequisite for a common international and national understanding about soil typologies and their implications for sustainable land use planning. Recognizing this need, the idea emerged to organize an international conference and invite top-level experts in soil science and related disciplines to discuss techno- logical advancements in soil resources and land use planning for better agricultural and environmental outcomes in the future. Enhanced agriculture production and more sustainable outcomes are critical to improve food security. The international conference, “S oil Classi fi cation and Reclamation of Degraded Lands in Arid Environments ,” was held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan (Ruler’s Representative in the Western Region Abu Dhabi and Chairman of Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD)) in 17–19 May 2010. It proved to be the ideal forum to share and discuss with national and international audience the research fi ndings and implications of these outcomes of the “Soil Survey of Abu Dhabi Emirate.” The survey had been jointly completed by Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi and the Dubai-based International Center for Biosaline Agriculture through a contractor GRM International Pty Australia during 2006–2009. The survey fi ndings published as the Abu Dhabi Soil Survey Report were of fi cially launched at the conference. During the conference, broad issues related to the advancement of soil classi fi cation systems, new trends in land degradation and deserti fi cation, and land use planning and policy directions were raised. It is these topics which are presented in this book to assist in a better understanding of the role of the soil in land use planning to ensure sustainable environmental and agricultural use. v vi Foreword I wish to thank H.E. Mohammed Al-Bowardi (Managing Director EAD), H.E. Majid Al Mansouri, then Secretary General EAD, and Her Excellency Ms Razan Al-Mubarak (Secretary General EAD) for their inspiration and respective endeavors to ensure the success of the conference and subsequent publication of its proceedings. Director General, International Center Shawki Barghouti for Biosaline Agriculture Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Preface This book is the outcome of an International Conference on Soil Classi fi cation and Reclamation of Degraded Lands in Arid Environments held during 17–19 May 2010 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) and Dubai-based International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) jointly organized the conference. The main objective of the conference was to bring renowned scientists, educators, and policy makers to share and discuss conference technical themes in broader perspectives and assist EAD in paving the way forward for future activities in soil and land management in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. We received overwhelming response to the call for papers, and over 250 abstracts were received from over 35 countries. The abstracts were reviewed, and those suitable were accepted for the submission of full manuscripts. The diversity of the conference themes made it necessary to publish these papers into two independent books. Prior to publication of the book, all preselected chapters went through rig- orous technical review and through an iterative review process with authors before fi nalization for publication. The chapters published in this book, D evelopments in Soil Classi fi cation , Land Use Planning and Policy Implications : Innovative Thinking of Soil Inventory for Land Use Planning and Management of Land Resources , represent part of the conference proceedings. The rest of the chapters are published in a separate book, Developments in Soil Salinity Assessment and Reclamation : Innovative Thinking of Using Marginal Soil and Water Resources in Irrigated Agriculture . In this book, chapters pertaining to soil survey and classi fi cation, land use plan- ning and policy implications, new trends in land degradation and deserti fi cation, modeling of soil and groundwater contamination, and innovations in research, development, education, and extension are presented in fi ve parts divided into 50 chapters. Part I deals with national soil inventories and advances in digital soil mapping, and examples from Abu Dhabi Emirate, Australia, Central Asia, Dubai Emirate, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Kuwait, Nigeria, Siberia, Sudan, Uzbekistan, and the USA are included. Part II deals with land use planning and policy implications, and topics such as land use planning and policy development, general land use framework, vii viii Preface integrated agricultural land use, agricultural land conversion, common land resources, and participatory land evaluation have been included from countries such as Austria, Australia, Brazil, East Botswana, Egypt, Eritrea, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, South Africa, Southern Kazakhstan, and UAE. Part III presents chapters on new trends in land degradation and deserti fi cation from Germany, Italy, Kuwait, and Egypt, including topics such as controlling land degradation, methodological approaches for deserti fi cation measurement, managing the hazard of drought and shifting sands in drylands, and soil degradation assessment. Part IV includes chapters on modeling of soil and groundwater contamination from India and Oman. Part V shares innovative work in research, development, education, and extension, including information sharing, innovations in soil chemical analyses, mycorrhiza, environmental isotopes, QA standards in soil survey, and lombricompost use, from India, Jordan, Madagascar, Morocco, Thailand, UAE, and the USA. We hope the book will be an excellent addition and contribution to the science and knowledge of soil survey and management of land resources in arid regions. Shabbir A. Shahid Faisal K. Taha Mahmoud A. Abdelfattah Acknowledgements I would like to express my thanks and appreciation for the assistance received from the managements of Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) and International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) in organizing the conference and publi- cation of this book. I would like to thank H.E. Majid Al Mansouri, then Secretary General (EAD) and Chairman of the conference, for his support, guidance, and encouragement to convene the conference. The staff from EAD and ICBA were instrumental in the planning and organizing of the conference and deserve recogni- tion and special thanks. The contribution of members of both Steering and Technical Committees is greatly appreciated. Special thanks go to Dr. Shawki Barghouti (ICBA Director General) for his kind support and approval of funds to publish the proceedings of the conference. Her Excellency Ms Razan Al-Mubarak (Secretary General EAD) endorsed this publica- tion, and we extend our thanks to her. My sincere acknowledgements go to the editors of this book, as well as to Dr. Henda Mahmoudi (Visiting Scientist) and Ghazi Jawad Al-Jabri (Communications Coordinator) whose professionalism, dedication, and careful reviewing facilitated the printing. The Springer Publishing House deserves “thank you” for taking the challenging task of publishing this book and assisting with its distribution. Last but not least, thanks to all competent scientists and partners for their invaluable contributions that made it possible to produce these proceedings. Chairman Faisal K . Taha Technical Committee International Conference on Soil Classi fi cation and Reclamation of Degraded Lands in Arid Environments ix