This important new volume presents a plethora of research focusing on the distribution of heavy metals in soils and rocks of natural habitats, farmlands, and urbanized areas along with the factors influencing their bioavailability. The authors evaluate such factors as the content of organic matter, levels of soil acidity, content of mineral fertilizers, and more. Developed for ecologists and specialists in the field of environmental protection and the conservation of biological diversity, the book presents the problems of reducing the anthropogenic load on the surrounding countryside and focuses on sustainable agricultural development. With data obtained by scientists from Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus who represent the research centers of the regions, the book contains studies of the soils and environments of these different climatic regions, regions that significantly differ from each other in natural conditions. The focus is dedicated to the questions of occurrence and behavior of heavy metals and pollutants in the complex soil-plant-animal-human system.