摘要
On the basis of legislative norms concerning land and nature management in Russia and scientific concepts of soil and land, new definitions of these basic concepts are suggested. Soils and lands are considered as separate components of the environment, each performing their own ecological functions. The definitions for land degradation and soil degradation are given. It is argued that the indicators of the ecological functions of soils and lands can be used for the qualitative and quantitative assessment of soil and land resources, ecological norming, and control of their ecological state, including degradation processes. Keywords legislation environment soil valuation Land Code ecosystem services