Soil carbon sequestration for improved land management (World soil resources reports)

In the framework of the Kyoto Protocol, carbon sequestration to mitigate the greenhouse effect in the terrestrial ecosystem has been an important subject of discussion in numerous recent international meetings and reports. The present synthesis focuses on the specific role that soils of tropical and dryland areas can play in carbon sequestration and on the land management strategies involved. A review is made of carbon dynamics and the fundamental role of organic matter in soil.