Legal instruments for protection of soils

1 Legal instruments for protection of soils Abstract Diploma thesis analyses the topic of legal instruments for soil protection. Significance of soil, as one of the components of environment, lies especially in securing livelihood for the inhabitants of our planet, water circulation and retention, and in the fact that soil provides living space for a substantial portion of living organisms. In this context the legal instruments represent means by which we can successfully protect soil from its degradation. Considering that soil degradation is rapidly increasing in the last couple of decades, the topic of this diploma thesis becomes more and more pressing, though sometimes overlooked by general public. Thesis primarily analyses legal instruments which exist in the Czech legislation and are most significant for the state of soil in the Czech Republic. The objective of this thesis is particularly to analyse individual legal instruments, to critically evaluate them and suggest possible improvements to the current state of soil protection in the Czech Republic. The first chapter highlights the enviromental importance of soil and characterizes its specificities as one of the components of environment. Subsequently current soil degradation processes are presented. In the end of the chapter the thesis summarizes..