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Sustaining the potential of soils for future generations, and safeguarding the life-supporting capacity of the soil and ecosystems requires the protection of both the quality and the quantity of the soil, and the processes sustaining those soils.

Chapter 8 of the Natural Resources Regional Plan (NRRP) focuses on the prevention of soil erosion that is induced or accelerated by the activities of people and/or the animals they have introduced.  It also addresses soil quality, particularly with regard to accumulation of contaminants in soil.

Chapter 8 does not set out rules for activities affecting soil, but provides a policy framework for assessing and monitoring activities such as vegetation clearance, agricultural practices including tiling and crop and pasture management, earthworks and the application of fertilisers and pesticides to soils.