OCEANIA

Area: 7,741,220 km²

Geography: Australia in general has an arid and semiarid climate, with temperate zones in the south and east and tropical climate in the north. The terrain is mostly low plateau with deserts and additionally, a fertile plain in southeast. On almost half of the lands under use, sugar cane, wheat, barley, rapeseed, cotton, among others are cultivated. ^{(CIA, 2022)}

Land Degradation: Australia is facing different challenges: Soil is eroding as a result from overgrazing and deforestation, industrial development, urbanization, and poor farming practices. Issues with soil salinity occurr due to the use of poor quality water. The country also has to cope with more extreme and frequent drought and desertification. ^{(CIA, 2022)}

Sustainable Land Management: A range of national and state level initiatives aim to tackle challenges and support sustainable land management. A National Soil Action Plan is under development to outline priority actions over the next 5 years to improve Australia’s soil health. It should support Australia’s commitments towards a more sustainable future, such as the Australian agriculture sector’s goal of being a $100 billion industry by 2030, and the Australian Government’s priority of building resilience in our communities and adapting to a changing climate. ^{(Government of South Australia, 2022; Australian Government, 2022)}