The Soil Conservation Act (No. 155 of 2018).

The objective of this Act is to protect, restore, and enhance the natural resources of the nation inherent in vegetation and soil, and to ensure sustainable land use. To promote the protection and sustainable use of land, the Act pursues the following objectives: 1. Land use should take into account its condition and contribute to the resilience and functionality of ecosystems; 2. Halting soil and vegetation degradation; 3. Avoiding disturbances to vegetation and soil; 4. Anyone causing disturbances to vegetation and soil should compensate for the damage; 5. Land use should safeguard biological diversity and the energy and nutrient reserves, as well as essential soil properties for ecosystem function; 6. Increasing public and stakeholders' participation in policies and actions related to vegetation and soil conservation; 7. Enhancing awareness of the importance of soil and vegetation and sustainable land use; and 8. Implementing systematic monitoring of vegetation, soil, and land use. Furthermore, in order to strengthen the country's ecosystem, the Act pursues the following objectives: 1. To rebuild and restore disturbed ecosystems and their biodiversity; 2. To increase the resilience of ecosystems against natural shocks and natural hazards; 3. To increase carbon sequestration by restoring ecosystems; and 4. To mobilize the public and stakeholders to participate in the restoration and development of ecosystems. The competent authority shall issue a soil conservation plan for up to ten years at intervals not less than every five years. The soil conservation plan shall outline the future vision and government policy on soil conservation, taking into account the objectives of this Act.
The Act consists of 28 Articles, organized in the following chapters: I. Objectives and definitions; II. Management of soil conservation affairs and plans; III. Support for soil conservation; IV. Sustainable land use; V. Protection, restoration, and enhancement of ecosystems; VI. Protection against soil erosion; VII. Negotiations, transfer, and sale of soil conservation areas; VIII. Various provisions.