ABSTRACT
Despite the existence of environmental legislation and policies concerning the use of agricultural land since early this century, land degradation continues to expand worldwide, suggesting that both law and policy have not been effective. In the mid-1970s new environmental strategies and conventions emerged from a number of global conservation fora that specifically discussed the state of the human and physical environment (e.g. The Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment 1972, The World Commission on Environment and Development 1987, The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development 1992, The Convention on the Conservation of Biological Diversity 1992, The Global Governance 1995). These have been a stimulus for some nations to prepare new environmental laws, environmental policies and strategies, generally, but also to prepare law and policy specifically aimed at managing land degradation. This paper outlines recent reforms in land degradation law and policy in Australia, Iceland, and Thailand and the approach taken to manage land degradation in accordance with the political, cultural, legal, and physical environmental factors. Some general remarks are made about other law and policy approaches for the control of land degradation. Good progress has been made but more nations need to either revitalize their existing law and policy or introduce new ones to combat the environmental problems resulting from land degradation. A general guideline and strategy to the development of environmental policy and law to manage land degradation is outlined.
