Antarctica has a total area of 13.9 Million km2, of which 44 890 km2 (0.32 percent) is ice-free with potential for soil development. Ice free areas are mainly confined to the Antarctic Peninsula, a few places around the perimeter of the continent and along the Transantarctic Mountains. The largest ice-free area ( approximately 5 000 km2) is the McMurdo Dry Valleys in the Ross Sea Region. Various aspects of soil change in these areas are discussed.

The full report has been divided into sections and individual chapters for ease of downloading:

• Introductory information
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: The role of soils in ecosystem processes
• Chapter 3: Global Soil Resources
• Chapter 4: Soils and Humans
• Chapter 5: Drivers of global soil change
• Chapter 6: Global soil status, processes and trends
• Chapter 7: Soil change: impacts and responses
• Chapter 8: Governance and policy responses to soil change
• Chapter 9: Regional Assessment of Soil Changes in Africa South of the Sahara
• Chapter 10: Regional Assessment of Soil Change in Asia
• Chapter 11: Regional Assessment of Soil Changes in Europe and Eurasia
• Chapter 12: Regional Assessment of Soil Changes in Latin America and the Caribbean
• Chapter 13: Regional Assessment of Soil Changes in the Near East and North Africa
• Chapter 14: Regional Assessment of Soil Changes in North America
• Chapter 15: Regional Assessment of Soil Change in the Sou thwest Pacific
• Chapter 16: Regional Assessment of Soil Change in Antarctica
• Annex: Soil groups, characteristics, distribution and ecosystem services
• Glossary of Technical Terms
• Authors and affiliations

Also available: Technical Summary of the Status of the World’s Soil Resources.

Although Canada and the United States of America have a long history of collaborative research activity in soil science, there have been no previous attempts at a regional assessment of threats to soil functions. Nor are there any ongoing institutional arrangements that coordinate soil assessment or management across the two countries, unlike trans-border water issues – which are adjudicated by an International Joint Commission – or atmospheric issues, such as when cross-border problems with acidification were the focus of the Air Quality Agreement of 1991. Cross-border coordination is further complicated by the lack of a common soil classification system between the two countries. Various aspects of soil change are discussed for the region. A national case study for soil change in Canada is presented .

The full report has been divided into sections and individual chapters for ease of downloading:

• Introductory information
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: The role of soils in ecosystem processes
• Chapter 3: Global Soil Resources
• Chapter 4: Soils and Humans
• Chapter 5: Drivers of global soil change
• Chapter 6: Global soil status, processes and trends
• Chapter 7: Soil change: impacts and responses
• Chapter 8: Governance and policy responses to soil change
• Chapter 9: Regional Assessment of Soil Changes in Africa South of the Sahara
• Chapter 10: Regional Assessment of Soil Change in Asia
• Chapter 11: Regional Assessment of Soil Changes in Europe and Eurasia
• Chapter 12: Regional Assessment of Soil Changes in Latin America and the Caribbean
Chapter 13: Regional Assessment of Soil Changes in the Near East and North Africa
• Chapter 14: Regional Assessment of Soil Changes in North America
• Chapter 15: Regional Assessment of Soil Change in the Southwest Pacific
• Chapter 16: Regional Assessment of Soil Change in Antarctica
• Annex: Soil groups, characteristics, distribution and ecosystem services
• Glossary of Technical Terms
• Authors and affiliations

Also available: Technical Summary of the Status of the World’s Soil Resources.

This chapter discusses the status of soil resources in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The emphasis is on human-induced ‘anthropogenic’ soil changes, and not on natural causes, although it is not always easy to separate them. National case studies of soil change are discussed for Argentin a and Cuba.

The full report has been divided into sections and individual chapters for ease of downloading:

• Introductory information
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: The role of soils in ecosystem processes
• Chapter 3: Global Soil Resources
• Chapter 4: Soils and Humans
• Chapter 5: Drivers of global soil change
• Chapter 6: Global soil status, processes and trends
• Chapter 7: Soil change: impacts and responses
• Chapter 8: Governance and policy responses to soil change
• Chapter 9: Regional Assessment of Soil Changes in Africa South of the Sahara
• Chapter 10: Regional Assessment of Soil Change in Asia
• Chapter 11: Regional Assessment of Soil Changes in Europe and Eurasia
• Chapter 12: Regional Assessment of Soil Changes in Latin America and the Caribbean
• Chapter 13: Regional Assessment of Soil Changes in the Near East and North Africa
• Chapter 14: Regional Assessment of Soil Changes in North America
• Chapter 15: Regional Assessment of Soil Change in the Southwest Pacific
• Chapter 16: Regional Assessment of Soil Change in An tarctica
• Annex: Soil groups, characteristics, distribution and ecosystem services
• Glossary of Technical Terms
• Authors and affiliations

Also available: Technical Summary of the Status of the World’s Soil Resources.