Land Degradation

Published on 05 Apr 2025

Land degradation is the result of human-induced actions which exploit land, causing its utility, biodiversity, soil fertility, and overall health to decline.​ According to GEF, globally, 3.2 billion people are affected by land degradation, especially rural communities, smallholder farmers, and the very poor.

Causes of Land Degradation

• Man-Made Causes

• Overgrazing: Livestock overgrazing can cause erosion, compaction of the soil, and a reduction in the amount of vegetation cover.

• Example: India lost 31 per cent, or 5.65 million hectares (mha), of grassland area in a decade, showed data the Union government presented to the UNCCD during COP14.

• Deforestation: The removal of trees and plants, which is typically done for agriculture or logging, diminishes soil stability and raises the danger of erosion.

• Example: Since 1990, over 420 million hectares of forest have been lost as a result of human activity, largely due to deforestation and land clearing for agricultural purposes and logging.

• Urbanization: Increased urbanization can result in loss of fertile land, sealing of the soil, and interference with natural drainage patterns.

• Example: Urbanization is projected to cause the loss of between 1.6 and 3.3 million hectares of prime agricultural land per year in the period between 2000 and 2030, according to the UNCCD report.

• Climate Change: The frequency of droughts and other extreme weather events can rise due to changes in climate trends, which might worsen land degradation.

• Example: Land Degradation pace has accelerated 30 to 35 times the historical rate in the recent decades due to changing climate, prolonged droughts etc.

• Natural Causes

• Natural Disasters: Natural Disasters like Earthquake, Flood etc. will reduce the fertility of the soil.

• Wind Erosion: Sand encroachment by wind reduces fertility of the soil making the land susceptible to desertification.

• Example: Wind erosion is a common cause of land degradation in the arid and semi-arid grazing lands of inland Queensland.

• Water Erosion: It results in Badlands Topography which itself is an initial stage of desertification.

Impacts of Land Degradation

• Reduction in agricultural productivity: Water erosion caused the loss of nutrient-rich topsoil, diminishing land fertility and affecting agricultural production.

• Example: From 2015-2019, the world lost at least 100 million hectares of healthy and productive land each year, according to the UNCCD data.

• Sedimentation in Rivers: Eroded soil was carried into rivers, where it caused sedimentation and adversely affected aquatic ecosystems and water quality.

• Example: Land Degradation Impacting Sedimentation in the Yangtze River Basin, China

• Increased Flood Risk: Higher flood hazards were a result of reduced soil permeability and increased runoff during periods of heavy rainfall.

• Water crisis: The quantity and quality of surface and groundwater resources have declined as a result of land degradation.

• Example: Bolivia's Lake Poopo disappears amid 20-year drought.

Government initiatives and policy measures

• National Action Programme to Combat Desertification: Programme for combating desertification was prepared in 2001 to take appropriate action in addressing the problems of desertification.

• Integrated Watershed Management Programme: To restore the ecological balance by harnessing, conserving and developing degraded natural resources such as soil, vegetative cover and water.

• National mission on green India: It aims at protecting; restoring and enhancing India's diminishing forest cover and responding to climate change by a combination of adaptation and mitigation measures.

International initiatives

• UN Convention to Combat Desertification: It is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management.

• Bonn Challenge: A global initiative aims to repair 350 million hectares of deforested and damaged land by 2030. It urges countries, companies, and organizations to commit to repairing landscapes, with an emphasis on sustainable land management and biodiversity conservation.

• Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) Targets: It aims to find a balance between the area of land that is being repaired or restored and the area that is being degraded.

Way Forward

• Agroforestry Programs: Implementation of agroforestry projects to restore plant cover in degraded areas and increase overall land resilience.

• Soil Conservation Measures: Implementing soil conservation techniques, like cover crops, contour ploughing, and agroecological methods, can lessen soil erosion.

• Community Engagement: Community involvement in sustainable land management techniques and education on the connection between flood hazards and land degradation.

• Integrated Watershed Management: Application of integrated watershed management techniques to enhance the general health of watersheds and address land degradation holistically.

Case study

• Rajasthan’s Familial Forestry: Familial Forestry means caring for the tree as a family member. About 2.5 million saplings have been planted in the past 15 years, with active participation of students and desert dwellers, as per UNCCD.

Tags:
Environment

Keywords:
Land Degradation Soil Pollution Pollution Deforestation Climate change

Syllabus:
General Studies Paper 3

Topics:
Environment and Climate Change