Abstract The global soilscape is a resource commons that is essential to society. Social science has been engaged in theoretical and empirical research as to how commons can be effectively managed, especially at a global scale, for more than 50 years. This has provided some rules and guideposts for their sustainable management, rules relevant to the soil commons. Presently, there is an international soil policy vacuum. The absence of binding policy helps explain the inability to implement scientific tools, such as soil C climate mitigation strategies, at significant levels over the past two decades. At national and subnational scales, especially in the USA which is considered here, there are a multitude of public and private soil health policies and programs, with vastly different scales and funding resources. These are largely not well coordinated, but according to polycentric management theory, may be viewed as a complex system, with evolving emergent properties and resulting impacts. Soil science must connect with business leaders, social scientists, policy implementers, politicians and others to develop a more coherent and effective policy web, one which might eventually lead to binding international agreements. This is likely to be a multi-generational effort, but will provide intellectually stimulating challenges for present and future generations of scholars.

中文翻译：

---

管理全球土壤资源的政策挑战

摘要 全球土壤景观是对社会至关重要的资源公地。50 多年来，社会科学一直从事关于如何有效管理公地的理论和实证研究，尤其是在全球范围内。这为其可持续管理提供了一些规则和指南，这些规则与土壤公地相关。目前，国际土壤政策存在真空。缺乏约束性政策有助于解释过去二十年无法在显着水平上实施科学工具，例如土壤碳气候减缓战略。在国家和次国家范围内，尤其是在此处所考虑的美国，有大量公共和私人土壤健康政策和计划，其规模和资金资源大不相同。这些在很大程度上没有很好地协调，但根据多中心管理理论，可以被视为一个复杂的系统，具有不断发展的紧急属性和由此产生的影响。土壤科学必须与商界领袖、社会科学家、政策执行者、政治家和其他人建立联系，以建立一个更加连贯和有效的政策网络，最终可能会导致具有约束力的国际协议。这可能需要几代人的努力，但将为今世后代的学者提供智力刺激的挑战。政治家和其他人制定一个更加连贯和有效的政策网络，最终可能会导致具有约束力的国际协议。这可能需要几代人的努力，但将为今世后代的学者提供智力刺激的挑战。政治家和其他人制定一个更加连贯和有效的政策网络，最终可能会导致具有约束力的国际协议。这可能需要几代人的努力，但将为今世后代的学者提供智力刺激的挑战。