The Australasia-Pacific Region supports approximately 50% of the world's
population. The last half-century has witnessed a rapid increase in the
regional population, agricultural productivity, industrial activities
and trade within the region. Both the demand for increased food
production and the desire to improve the economic conditions have
affected regional environmental quality. This volume presents an
overview of the fate of contaminants in the soil environment; current
soil management factors used to control contaminant impacts, issues
related to sludge and effluent disposals in the soil environment; legal,
health and social impacts of contaminated land, remediation approaches
and strategies to manage contaminated land, some of the problems
associated with environmental degradation in the Australasia-Pacific
Region and steps that we need to take to safeguard our environment.