Actual Problems of Rationing Soil Quality: Legal and Methodological Aspects

Abstract— Rationing soil quality is an important mechanism for the rational use and protection of soils and lands. The article provides an analysis of the definitions of the terms “soils” and “soil quality” in regulatory legal and regulatory technical acts. The applied significance of using hygienic standards (maximum permissible concentration (MPC) and approximate (tentative) permissible concentration (APC)) as tools for assessing the state of soil and land resources is discussed. Various aspects of soil and land quality standardization are analyzed in detail, including their role in solving the problem of achieving a neutral balance of land degradation. Particular attention is paid to the methodological issues of establishing quality standards using the example of cadmium pollution, the use of MPC/APC indicators in calculating environmental damage, and the use of established quality requirements as target guidelines for the reclamation of disturbed lands. The important role of soil and land quality rationing in environmental monitoring, soil surveys, identifying soil and land pollution, preventing their degradation, and determining the extent of damage caused and the cost of reclamation of disturbed lands is substantiated. Proposals for the development of soil quality standards are advanced. An organization has the right to develop soil quality standards, with subsequent approval by a specially authorized body. It is advisable to prepare regulations for developing the corresponding quality standards with the participation of employees from leading scientific, educational, and industrial institutions with experience in soil and land research and conservation.