Land Degradation

INTRODUCTION
 Land degradation is reduction or loss of biological or economic productivity and integrity of land .it results from change in land use pattern , processes
arising from human activities and habitation patterns , such as soil erosion caused by wind and water ,deterioration of properties of soil and long term
loss of natural vegetation
 According to UNCCD definition , LDN is a state whereby the amount and quality of land resources , necessary to support ecosystem functions and
services and enhance food security , remain stable or increases within specified temporal and spatial scales .overreaching principle for LDN includes :
AVOID, REDUCE , REVERSE .
 LDN can prevent soil erosion ,desertification , water scarcity ,migration insecurity and income inequalities caused by land degradation . thus it helps in
combating the impacts of climate change
 It is a unique approach that counterbalances the expected loss of productive land with recovery of degraded areas.
 India has adopted the goal of achieving LDN by 2030 as adopted under SDG 15.3
LAND DEGRADATION IN INDIA
 Around 69% of india falls under dry lands
 State of enviroment’s 2019 shows that 30 % of india total geographical area is being affected by land degradation
 82 % of these degraded lands lies in just 9 states
 It shows 1.87 million hectares of land in country faced process of desertification between 2003-13
MAJOR CAUSES
 POOR AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES- such as improper crop rotations /overuse of chemichals/slash and burn agriculture
 SOIL EROSION – which leads to surface runoff and removal of top soil
 VEGETATION DEGRADATION – because of deforestation and shifting agriculture
 INCREASING URBANIZATION- because of increasing population and pressure
 OVERGRAZING- as india has one of the largest population of cattle
IMPACT OF LAND DEGRADATION ON INDIA
 ECONOMIC IMPACT AND FOOD SECURITY- as per energy and research institute , economic loss from land degradation and change of land use
in 2014-15 stood at 2.54% of india’s gdp .most affected are small and marginal farmers who make up about 86% of total farmers in india.
 CLIMATE CHANGE- it is exacerbating CC which in turn is fueling LD. As degraded land loses capacity to absorb co2
 WATER SCARCITY- dry land population vulnerable to water stress and drought intensity is projected to reach 178 million under most ideal conditions
of 1.5degree Celsius warming by 2050 .
 RIGHT OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE- insecure land tenure affects ability of people and communities to fight climate change , which is further
endangered by land degradation .
GOVERNMENT’S APPROACH
 ADOPTION OF WATERSHED MANAGEMENT APPROACH-planning based on micro wetlands , use of remote sensing data and spatial data
planning at micro level
 INTEGRATED TREATMENT-incorporating contouring , gully plugging , vegetative as well as engineering based solutions for soil moisture
conservation , covering agricultural as well as non agricultural lands
 INTEGRATED FARMING BASED APPROACH- for ex – NATIONAL AFFORESTATION PROGRAMME , NATIONAL MISSION FOR
GREEN INDIA , INCORPORATING FODDER AND FUELBASED SUPPLY , FARM FORESTRY AND AGROFORESTRY.
 FOCUS ON WATER MANAGEMENT- acquifer recharge and water budgeting as well as crop planning
 FOCUS ON SOCIAL ASPECTS- constitution of watershed management committee under gram sabha ,social audit ,joint forest management and social
fencing by involving communities.
 INCORPORATION OF LIVELIHOOD RELATED ACTIVITIES- development of shgs , programme such as mahila kisan sashktikaran pariyojana
focusing on increasing capabilities women farmers with a view to increasing sustainability .
 ADOPTION OF CLIMATE ADOPTION RELATED SOLUTIONS - both with regard to floods and precipitation as well as temperature and
moisture
 INCREASING ROLE OF PANCHAYATI RAJ INSTITUTIONS
STEPS TAKEN TO ACHIEVE LDN
 COMPREHENSIVE NATIONAL PLAN launched in 2001 to combat desertification
 MAPPING OF ISSUE -desertification and land degradation atlas -2016 by isro
 MISSION MODE APPROACH – india adopted bonn challenge pledge to bring deforested land into restoration 350 hectares by 2030
 SUSTAINABLE LAND AND ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME- jointly implemented by GOI and GEF to promote sustainable land
and ecosystem management
 INITIATIVES – watershed development programme/ national afforestation prgramme / national green mission
 DELHI DECLARATION -india hosted cop 14 of UNCCD – india raised its total area that would be restored from 21 million hec to 26 million hec till
2030
POSSIBLE MEASURES
 MULTIFUCNTIONAL LANDSCAPE APPROACH-prioritizing and balancing different stakeholders needs at landscape
 FARMING FOR MULTIPLE BENEFITS- agri practices should be shifted in a way to support social/environmental/and economic benefits
 MANAGING RURAL URBAN INTERFACE- reduce env cost of water/food water
 CREATING ENABLING ENVIROMENT- scale local success into large scale through stakeholder engagement
 NO NET LOSS OF HEALTHY AND PRODUCTIVE LAND – by providing incentives for sustainable development consumption and production of
natural resources
CONCLUSION
Reversal of land degradation is important for countries for not just economic gains but also for achievement of sdg and paris agreement goals . reduction aand
reversal of land degradation could mitigate one third of ghg by 2030 through soils carbon absorption and storage functions .in this context participation of local
people and adoption of new technologies measures Is very important

Land Degradation

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Land Degradation

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Land Degradation

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

INTRODUCTION

You might also like