Foreword of the second special issue on “Soil Governance”

This second special issue is an expression of what ten years ago nobody would have thought being possible: Soils have become what they deserve to be, a relevant topic on the global, regional, and national agendas of sustainability policies. Soils are now understood as a core precondition to achieve inter alia climate neutrality, an effective climate adaptation, biodiversity conservation, and food security. The second special issue consists of 17 manuscripts dealing with various aspects of soil governance, from integrated soil and water management to the application of the polluter pays principle in different countries. New national and regional developments in soil legislation are also presented, with examples from China, Germany, India, Malawi, New Zealand, Uzbekistan or Wales, as well as an analysis of soil-related court rulings.