From February, 5th, to March, 1st, a thematic exhibition “The world land resources: current state, exploitation, preservation” timed to the UN International Year of Soils runs in the Official documents reading room (auditorium 207).
The UN General Assembly proclaimed 2015 the International Year of Soils on December, 20th, 2013, at the 68th session (resolution A/RES/68/232).
According to the resolution, soils, despite their vital role, are often disregarded, and the variety of roles which lands play in human life frequently remains unnoticed. The Assembly emphasizes that soils are the basis of the agricultural development, the major ecosystem functions and the food safety and, thus, they have a key value for the maintenance of life on the Earth.
In this connection the International Year of Soils is called to increase the awareness on the importance of soils and land resources for food safety and ecology, and also to remind of their role in the maintenance of food stability and the struggle against poverty.
Today more than 805 million people starve or are underfed. The growth of population demands increasing production of food stuffs in approximately 60 %. As food production depends in many respects on a condition of soils, it is very important to keep health and efficiency of lands.
According to FAO (the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations), a third of all soils are degraded in consequence of erosion, compression, packaging and salinization, washout of organic substances and nutrients, acidulation, pollution and other processes connected with an instable practice of soil management. And if new approaches do not take root, the total area of arable and fertile lands per capita will make in 2050 only a quarter from the level of 1960.
Formation of one centimeter of soli can take about 1 000 years, and considering that 33 % of all global soil resources are degraded, and the pressure from the person increases, the critical mark is already reached, and mankind must direct all the efforts to the maintenance of soils’ health and to make their exploitation rational and steady.
The major tasks of the International Year of Soils are as follow:
- Rendering an all-round assistance to increase of awareness of both civil society and decision-making authority about a huge importance of soils for human life;
- Carrying out an information and educational work concerning the questions of a key role of soils for the maintenance of food safety, the major ecosystem services, adaptation to climate changes and mitigation of their consequences, reduction of scales of poverty and maintenance of a sustainable development;
- Promoting an effectual policy and measures for the maintenance of a sustainable management of soil resources and their protection;
- Stimulating investments into sustainable methods of management of soil resources with a view of land improvement used by various categories of landowners and groups of population, and preservation of their health;
- Maintaining the initiatives connected with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the post-2015 Agenda;
- Promoting a prompt escalating potential in the field of information gathering about soils and carrying out monitoring at all levels (global, regional and national).
The offered exhibition presents over 80 documents in Russian and English: books, brochures and periodicals.
The exposition includes the following thematic sections:
- A sustainable development and rational exploitation of soils.
- Pollution and degradation of soils.
- The world land resources: protection, current state, evaluation.
- Geography of soils and soil science.
- Soils of Belarus.
The exhibition will be interesting to students and post-graduates in ecological, agricultural and geographical disciplines, experts in the field of soil science, environment protection and wildlife management, research workers, and also to everyone who is interested in the questions of preservation and rational exploitation of land resources.
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