Land Degradation
Kartavya Desk Staff
Syllabus: Environment
Source: IE
Context: Land degradation is undermining Earth’s capacity to sustain humanity, and failure to reverse it will pose challenges for generations to come, a new United Nations report found.
What is Land Degradation?
Land degradation refers to the decline in the biological, economic, and ecological productivity of land due to unsustainable practices, deforestation, soil erosion, and climate change. It diminishes the capacity of land to provide essential services like food, water, and carbon sequestration.
Aspects of Land Degradation:
• Soil Erosion: Loss of topsoil by wind or water reduces soil fertility and productivity.
• Soil Salinization: Accumulation of salts in the soil due to irrigation makes land unfit for cultivation.
• Desertification: Fertile land turns into desert due to deforestation, drought, and overgrazing.
• Loss of Vegetation: Deforestation and overgrazing destabilize soil, increasing vulnerability to erosion.
• Pollution: Contaminants from chemicals and waste degrade soil and water resources.
Present Status of Land Degradation: (Source: UNCCD)
• Scale: 15 million km² globally degraded.
• Expansion: Degraded land area grows by 1 million km² annually.
• Impacts on Carbon Sequestration: Land ecosystems’ capacity to absorb CO₂ reduced by 20% in the last decade.
• Regional Disparities: Drylands, covering 46% of Earth’s land area, house a third of humanity and suffer severe degradation.
Causes of Land Degradation:
• Anthropogenic Causes:
• Unsustainable Agriculture: Excessive use of fertilizers, pesticides, and water depletes resources and pollutes ecosystems. Deforestation: Clearing forests for cropland and urbanization accelerates erosion and biodiversity loss. Urbanization: Habitat destruction and pollution escalate due to rapid expansion of cities. Overgrazing: Livestock pressure on grasslands reduces vegetation cover, leading to desertification.
• Unsustainable Agriculture: Excessive use of fertilizers, pesticides, and water depletes resources and pollutes ecosystems.
• Deforestation: Clearing forests for cropland and urbanization accelerates erosion and biodiversity loss.
• Urbanization: Habitat destruction and pollution escalate due to rapid expansion of cities.
• Overgrazing: Livestock pressure on grasslands reduces vegetation cover, leading to desertification.
• Natural Causes:
• Climate Change: Extreme weather events like droughts and floods exacerbate soil erosion and land degradation. Water Scarcity: Depletion of aquifers and altered water cycles worsen soil quality. Natural Disasters: Landslides, hurricanes, and prolonged droughts accelerate degradation.
• Climate Change: Extreme weather events like droughts and floods exacerbate soil erosion and land degradation.
• Water Scarcity: Depletion of aquifers and altered water cycles worsen soil quality.
• Natural Disasters: Landslides, hurricanes, and prolonged droughts accelerate degradation.
Impacts of Land Degradation:
• Food Security: Declines in crop yield and nutritional quality increase malnutrition risks.
• Biodiversity Loss: Habitat destruction impacts species survival and ecosystem stability.
• Climate Change: Degraded land emits CO₂, worsening global warming.
• Human Migration: Loss of livelihoods forces displacement and fuels conflicts.
• Water Pollution: Fertilizer runoff contaminates water bodies, harming aquatic ecosystems.
Initiatives Taken So Far:
• Global Initiatives:
• UNCCD (1994): Legally binding framework to address desertification and land degradation. Land Degradation Neutrality Fund (2018): Invests in sustainable land management projects. UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030): Prevents, halts, and reverses ecosystem degradation. Glasgow Declaration (2021): Pledged by 145 nations to halt deforestation by 2030.
• UNCCD (1994): Legally binding framework to address desertification and land degradation.
• Land Degradation Neutrality Fund (2018): Invests in sustainable land management projects.
• UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030): Prevents, halts, and reverses ecosystem degradation.
• Glasgow Declaration (2021): Pledged by 145 nations to halt deforestation by 2030.
• Indian Initiatives:
• Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas (ISRO): Tracks land degradation across India. National Action Programme to Combat Desertification (2001): Strategies to address desertification. National Afforestation Programme (NAP): Restores degraded forests. Desert Development Programme (1977): Focuses on addressing land degradation in arid regions.
• Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas (ISRO): Tracks land degradation across India.
• National Action Programme to Combat Desertification (2001): Strategies to address desertification.
• National Afforestation Programme (NAP): Restores degraded forests.
• Desert Development Programme (1977): Focuses on addressing land degradation in arid regions.
Measures to Counter Land Degradation:
• Sustainable Agriculture: Promote regenerative practices like no-till farming, intercropping, and organic fertilizers.
• Forest Restoration: Protect existing forests and implement reforestation and afforestation projects.
• Efficient Water Use: Adopt efficient irrigation methods like drip irrigation and water harvesting.
• Green Infrastructure: Transition from dams and channels to nature-based solutions like floodplain restoration.
• Policy Alignment: Align agricultural subsidies with sustainability goals and enforce stricter land-use regulations.
Conclusion:
Tackling land degradation is essential to ensure environmental sustainability and human survival. Coordinated global and local efforts, innovative solutions, and equitable governance can restore degraded ecosystems and preserve Earth’s capacity to support future generations.
Insta Links:
• Land-degradation-and-land-management-policy
• The process of desertification does not have climate boundaries. Justify with examples (UPSC-2020)