The FAO considers around a quarter of global land to be degraded (FAO-ITPS, 2015). Of particular concern are threats to soils in water-limited regions, which are critical to food and economic security in countries across the globe but are under increasing pressure due to human use and climatic forcing. These soils have been used to feed and provide resources and services to human societies for millennia, with earliest land-uses dating back to pre-historic times. With the adoption of modern, frequently unsuitable agricultural practices combined with the population pressures and shifting consumption patterns, soils in water-limited regions have come under threat, resulting in degradation and in worst-case scenarios, desertification. Here we review the current state of soils in water-limited environments and provide a guide to management for conservation and restoration of these fragile soils. Options to manage specific threats to soil functionality, namely erosion, soil salinity, loss of functionality due to landscape homogenisation, degradation of soil organic matter as well as climate vulnerability are presented for specific land-uses using a whole-system approach management framework.

中文翻译：

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回顾我们的选择：管理限水土壤以保护和恢复

粮农组织认为全球约有四分之一的土地正在退化（FAO-ITPS，2015）。特别令人担忧的是缺水地区土壤面临的威胁，这些地区对全球各国的粮食和经济安全至关重要，但由于人类使用和气候强迫而面临越来越大的压力。数千年来，这些土壤一直被用来为人类社会提供食物和资源和服务，最早的土地利用可以追溯到史前时代。由于采用了经常不合适的现代农业做法，再加上人口压力和消费模式的转变，缺水地区的土壤受到威胁，导致退化，最坏的情况是荒漠化。在这里，我们回顾了缺水环境中土壤的现状，并为保护和恢复这些脆弱土壤的管理提供指导。使用全系统方法管理框架针对特定土地用途提出了管理土壤功能特定威胁的选项，即侵蚀、土壤盐分、由于景观同质化导致的功能丧失、土壤有机质退化以及气候脆弱性。