Already in the last 50 years there has been increasing evidence of mismanagement of our soils. Whether through ignorance or through mismanagement of the land, there is abundant evidence of damage to this precious resource worldwide. Soil erosion and desertification is widespread and affecting millions of hectares of land. Desertification and salinisation are causing major problems in the drier parts of the world. Pollution either directly to the soil or by way of acid rain from the atmosphere is a problem in some areas, not only affecting the soil but leaving the soil to cause pollution to water bodies and loss of aquatic life. Intensive farming, while producing increasing crop yields to feed the growing population, has put increasing pressure on the soil and this has led to soil degradation. It is more and more important that we understand the pressures that we are putting on our soils and take steps to safeguard them as we go into the future. This Section describes some of the threats to our soils, how we can deal them and how important it is that there is a global approach to managing our soils for future generations.