Land degradation is a change to land that makes it less useful for human beings. The concept of land degradation as mentioned above, land degradation means much more than the degradation of the landsoil. Executive summary capacity of the ecosystem to provide services. To fight this menace, india will convert degraded land of nearly 50 lakh 5 million hectares to fertile land in the next 10 years between 2021 and 2030. Pastoralism and rangeland management applicability land degradation addressed in the precolonial era, pastoralists were limited principally by disease and insecurity. In proper terminological definition, forest degradation is the decline of the capacity of a forest to produce healthy ecosystem products and services such as the provision of timber and other resources, support to biodiversity, carbon storage and so on as a result of environmental and anthropogenic changes. Land degradation can also lead to climate change and affect human health. Any change that decreases productivity of the land land clearing poor land management practices 2 3.
The decline in quantity and quality of soil it includes erosion by wind and water biological degradation loss of humus physical degradation loss of structure, permeability, compaction chemical degradation reduced fertility, salinisation, changing ph, toxicity if degradation is so severe that land becomes unusable it is termed desertification. Land degradation is damage to land that makes it less economically useful and less biologically diverse. Degredation synonyms, degredation pronunciation, degredation translation, english dictionary definition of degredation. Deterioration in the quality of land, its topsoil, vegetation, andor water resources, caused usually by excessive or inappropriate exploitation. Global trends and effects of land degradation and improvement. Degradation of the natural environment is a worldwide problem, and some examples are quite ancient. The result is a loss of land productivity with impacts on livelihoods and the. Land degradation here mainly refers to the loss of lifesupporting land resource through soil erosion, desertification, salinization, acidification, etc.
In the tranemission of han and animal pathogens, aerial transpor of the organism as a free. Deforestation accounts for the major land degradation problem as it results in severe soil erosion, flood, and loss of fertile soil. All of these factors will combine to create a very stable but very unproductive desert environment. A general definition of land degradation is presented by wasson 1987 as.
Its increased concentration in atmosphere leads to global warming. Degradation definition is the act or process of degrading. Productivity declines may be due directly to soil degradation, for example through depletion ofsoil nutrients, soil toxicity. I would be hard pressed to think of a more perfect definition of human misery and. Pdf acknowledged by world leaders as a global problem, land. The degradation also impacts our wildlife, plants, animals and microorganisms. India is facing a severe problem of land degradation ie.
Information and translations of land degradation in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Erosion processes and soilconservation technology 4. Deforestation, wasting resources, and pollution all add to the demise of an environmentallysound. A director, on the other hand, is designed to minimize performance degradation at all times. Sustainable ways to reduce land degradation and desertification demand research and advocacy of sustainable land management practices. Land degradation, soil erosion and soil conservation pmf ias. The change in the characteristic and quality of soil which adversely affect its fertility is called as degradation. Land thus covers climate and water resources, landform, soils and vegetation, including both grassland resources and forests fao, 1976. The importance of land restoration for achieving a land. Land degradation is a process in which the value of the biophysical environment is affected by a combination of humaninduced processes acting upon the land. What is forest degradation and what are various causes of it. It encompasses physical soil erosion, chemical salinity and alkalinity, pollution and biological deterioration pollution and.
Glasod suggests that the globally land degradation affects about 15% of the worlds dry land surface and 22% of its agricultural land base and 70% of the worlds dry land areas. Deforestation in agriculture accounts for 60% of global land degradation as well as about 30% of all manmade carbon emissions. Land degradation is the reduction or loss of the biological or economic productivity and complexity of rainfed cropland, irrigated cropland, or range, pasture, forest or woodlands resulting from natural processes, land uses or other human activities and habitation patterns such as land contamination, soil erosion and the destruction of the vegetation cover. Degradation definition of degradation by medical dictionary. In turn, unsustainable land use is driving land degradation. Soil degradation is a serious global environmental problem and may be exacerbated by climate change. Desertification has been defined as land degradation in arid, semiarid, and dry subhumid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities11. Land definition is the solid part of the surface of the earth. The consequences of deforestation in terms of soil erosion, land degradation, nutrient loss, and the disruption of the delicate equilibrium among soil, plants and atmosphere can be seen in the vast tracts of barren and unproductive land where lush green forest once grew. Land degradation food and agriculture organization of the united. The 2030 agenda for sustainable development declares that we are determined to protect the planet from degradation, including through sustainable consumption and production, sustainably managing its natural resources and taking urgent action on climate change, so that it can support the needs of the present and future generations. Pdf land degradation control and its global environmental.
The soil integrates a variety of important processes involving vegetation growth, overland flow of water, infiltration, land use and land management. Land degradation is a process in which the value of the biophysical environment is affected by one or more combination of humaninduced processes acting upon the land. The changes in area of forest by region and subregion are shown in table 1. The three degradation terms, environmental degradation, land degradation, and soil degradation, are defined as any change or disturbance to the environment, land, or soil perceived to be. The problem is more pronounced in least developing countries due to overdependence of natural resources for survival. Soil conservation encyclopedia of life support systems. It is viewed as any change or disturbance to the land perceived to be deleterious or undesirable. This report in the form of a pdf can be viewed and downloaded at. On the other hand, land pollution is the degradation of the earths surface through wrong application or use of the soils by means of devastating farming techniques that are inimical to the environment. Land degradation intruduction land degradation is a process in which the value of the biophysical environment is affected by a combination of humaninduced processes acting upon the land.
Oecd glossary of statistical terms land degradation. Land degradation and desertification a global crisis. Rapid microbial degradation is more likely when the same pesticide is used repeatedly in a field. The united nations international strategy for disaster reduction defines environmental degradation as the reduction of the capacity of the environment to meet social and ecological objectives, and needs. This book contains selected contributions from the sixth meeting of the international geographical unions commission on land degradation and desertification, held in perth, australia, in september 1999. However, desertification is only one part of the wider problem of land degradation, and so the 2018 world atlas of desertification uses a more inclusive definition. Causes, effects and control strategies 5 deforestation are maintained. Collectively, these contributions explicitly seek to understand not only the mechanisms responsible for the problem of land degradation but their social and economic implications, the means of. No need to purchase any books for session 20192020 free pdf will be available at.
Land degradation, as defined by the intergovernmental. The condition of the soil is one of the best indicators of land degradation. Trace metals have been shown to inhibit ruminal protein degradation. The global problem of land degradation and desertification. In the twentieth century occupation of land by cultivators competition for water and land and the presence of boundaries impeded free movement of live. Our land, water and soil are compromised when people exhaust resources or release harmful chemicals into the air. Dictionary term of the day articles subjects businessdictionary business dictionary.
One of the calamitous effects of land pollution is the destruction of nearby forests together with its ecosystems. Land degradation as the land use section earlier in this chapter shows, demands on the land for economic development and pressures from a burgeoning population are leading to unprecedented land use change. Land degradation is a process in which the value of the biophysical environment is affected by. Soil degradation is, in itself, an indicator of land degradation. The causes of land degradation in this category will require immediate. Degradation definition of degradation by the free dictionary.
It is important to note that, of the three criteria adopted for the definition of land degradation, two are strictly related to soil properties, namely. This term is used specifically to refer to damages caused by human activities rather than. Serious land degradation in nauru after the depletion of the phosphate cover through mining. However, if acted upon quickly, there is a possibility for land reclamation and reversal of desertification. Indeed some 31 countries do not even make the list because they have already removed most of their forests and even if that remain are seriously fragmented and degraded. Causes and impacts of land degradation and desertification. Poor land management practices include grazing of stock that has hard hooves, growing of crops that require large amounts of fertilisers and pesticides especially superphosphate and nitrogen.
This will create much drier soil, which in turn is more vulnerable to erosion and runoff. Degredation definition of degredation by the free dictionary. Land degradation and deforestation evergreen agriculture. What is forest degradation and what are various causes of. With increasing human population, trees around the world are cleared everyday to make way for agriculture in fertile lands to meet the increasing. Read this article to learn about the meaning, factors responsible, prevention and control measures of land degradation. Define land degradation concept in which the value of the biophysical environment is affected by one or more combination of humaninduced processes acting upon the land define compaction. Because of the complex nature of land degradation processes it is essentially a geographical subject matt er.
The decline in the overall quality of soil, water or vegetation condition commonly caused by human activities land degradation meaning. Loss of natural fertility of soil because of loss of nutrients. Land degradation and deforestation land degradation and deforestation. It thus covers the various forms of soil degradation, adverse human impacts on water. May 01, 2019 land degradation soil degradation is the decline in soil quality caused by its improper use, usually for agricultural, pastoral, industrial or urban purposes. Discharge of various kinds of chemicals on land adjacent to forest regions makes the environment unappealing to the survival of trees, vegetations, and animal species.