Law of Georgia on Soil Protection (No. 490–IIS of 1994) Country/Territory Georgia Document type Legislation Date 1994 (2017) Source FAO, FAOLEX Original source 370.010.000.05.001.000.080 Subject Land & soil, Cultivated plants, Water, Wild species & ecosystems Keyword Soil conservation/soil improvement Soil pollution/quality Agricultural land Basic legislation Soil rehabilitation Drainage/land reclamation Local government Financing Sustainable use Agricultural development Public health Public land Ecofriendly products/ecofriendly processes Fertilizers/nutrients Protection of environment Erosion Farming Hazardous substances Mountain area Offences/penalties Pollution control Private land Plant protection Irrigation Wetlands Wild fauna Wild flora Geographical area Asia, Black Sea, Eastern Europe, Europe, Europe and Central Asia, Western Asia Abstract This Law provides for soil protection. The Law consists of 13 articles: General provisions (Article 1) Purpose of the Law (Article 2); Soil protection measures and methods (Article 3); Use of amelioration systems (Article 3(1)); Prohibitions imposed for soil protection (Article 4); Objectives of state institutions in the field of soil protection (Article 5); Local government institutions in the area of soil protection (Article 6) Financing of soil protection measures (Article 7); Soil protection control (Article 8); Liability for violation of this Law (Article 9); Applicability of foreign legislation and international agreements (Article 10); Definition of terms used in the Law (Article 11); and Transitional provisions (Article 12). The Law states that soil protection is the state-level problem since correct and rational use of all types of soil, including barren soil, saline soil, swamped soil, salt marsh soil, alkali soil and wetland soil are the main reserve of dynamic development of agriculture and of the national economy as a whole. The purposes of the Law are to ensure the integrity of soil surface, and conservation and rise of soil fertility; to establish the rights and the duties of landholders, landowners and the state in the field of soil protection and creating conditions for ecologically clean production; to prevent the negative impact of methods for improving soil fertility which may pose a risk to the soil, human health, flora and fauna; to ensure the conservation of endemic plants to high mountainous regions and conservation of the fertile layer of soil by protecting sub-alpine and alpine meadows; and to support coordination of amelioration services in order to achieve larger and more stable harvest yields. The Law also adopts the standards for permissible concentrations of contaminants in soil. Full text Georgian Website matsne.gov.ge