Soil security under salt attack: Protection of the soil against the salinization caused by drying up of Lake Urmia

In recent decades, Lake Urmia (LU), a hypersaline lake in northwestern Iran, has suffered significant water loss due to both human-induced and natural causes. This drought could lead to the emission of millions of tons of saline particulates from its dried bed, resulting in saline dust storms that compromise soil and food security in LU basin as an agricultural region. Despite some restoration programs by the central government and provincial administrations, efforts have not been sufficient to revive LU and mitigate risks. This paper explores the legal dimensions of the impact of LU's drying on soil security and assesses current legal initiatives for LU restoration and soil security along with their challenges. The study concludes that current legal initiatives for soil security against LU drought are inadequate, and without significant changes in sustainable water and soil governance, soil and food security in the region will be impossible. The paper recommends taking more serious actions to prevent LU drying according to the precautionary principle, promoting sustainable and polycentric soil and water governance, shifting economic and agricultural priorities, and protecting the environment and local people against the impacts of this catastrophe.