Land degradation

Why in news?

• Global Initiative to reduce land degradation and coral reef programme has been launched at meeting of environment ministers of G-20.

What is land degradation?

• Land degradation is a process in which the value of the biophysical environment is affected by a combination of human-induced processes acting upon the land.
• It is viewed as any change or disturbance to the land perceived to be deleterious or undesirable.
• When land degradation occurs in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas, it is referred to as desertification.

Types and causes of Land degradation:

• Vegetation degradation from deforestation, forest-blanks, shifting cultivation and grazing of grassland;
• Water/Wind erosion
• Increased Salinity of soils in cultivated areas due to excess evapotranspiration, drought, excess irrigation, and overuse of fertilizers
•  Waterlogging caused by floods, excess irrigation, and incorrect planning of drainage;
• Frost shattering referring to the breakdown of rocks because of differences in temperature
• Frost heaving where ice lens form under the soil
•  Mass movement delineating the movement of masses of soil and rock due to gravity;
•  Manmade causes such as mining, quarrying, brick kilns, industrial effluents, city waste, and urban agglomeration.

Land Degradation India:

• It is estimated that nearly 1/3^rd of the country was undergoing land degradation.
• India has announced a commitment of restoring 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.
• India was one of the first countries to commit to the 2030 SDG target of achieving land degradation neutrality (LDN

Land Degradation Neutrality:

• It is a state whereby the amount and quality of land resources, necessary to support ecosystem functions and services and enhance food security, remains stable or increases.
• Land degradation neutrality is one of 169 targets set under the Sustainable Development Goals.

PRELIMS QUESTION

Consider the following statements regarding Land Degradation:
1.Flooding and water logging can be a cause of land degradation.
2.India aims to achieve land degradation neutral status by 2030.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a)1 only
(b)2 only
(c)Both 1 and 2 
(d)Neither 1 nor 2

Answer to prelims question