A pure anthropogenic definition of land degradation is the loss of a sustained economic. Land degradation is defined as the longterm loss of ecosystem function and. In turn, unsustainable land use is driving land degradation. Read this article to learn about the meaning, factors responsible, prevention and control measures of land degradation. The three degradation terms, environmental degradation, land degradation, and soil degradation, are defined as. In this report, land degradation is defined as a negative trend 4 in land condition, caused by direct or indirect humaninduced processes including anthropogenic.
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. It is viewed as any change or disturbance to the land perceived to be deleterious or undesirable. In addition, gaps between scientific understandings of land degradation and international policy regimes are problematic. Land degradation food and agriculture organization of the united. Land degradation has occurred on about 30 % of global land area between 1982 and 2006 chap. The change in the characteristic and quality of soil which adversely affect its fertility is called as degradation. Pdf gis spatial modeling for land degradation assessment in.
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. Information and translations of land degradation in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Pdf gis spatial modeling for land degradation assessment. The soil integrates a variety of important processes involving vegetation growth, overland flow of water, infiltration, land use and land management. Land degradation has reduced the productivity of nearly onequarter of the global land surface, impacted the wellbeing of about 3. Soil degradation is a consequence of intensive land use management, which is assumed to be caused by human impact, poverty, and a response to economic opportunities at the global level lambin et al. Soil degradation is, in itself, an indicator of land degradation. For example, it ic useless for one nation to establish standards for a particular form of land degradation when the nource of degradation originates in an area. Ekiti state is enhanced because of high demand for wood fuel. Land degradation and desertification a global crisis. Environmental degradation is a process through which the natural environment is compromised in some way, reducing biological diversity and the general health of the environment. Environmental studies pdf notes es pdf notes smartzworld.
We identify the three most significant debates including their different policy implications. Land degradation is the humaninduced loss of biodiversity. While the update of the content of the internet database version is an ongoing activity, the pdf, and word versions currently available are snapshots of the internet database version as of december 2007. 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. Some of these efforts center on reducing co 2 emissions from deforestation, since. The result is a loss of land productivity with impacts on livelihoods and the. The condition of the soil is one of the best indicators of land degradation. Deterioration in the quality of land, its topsoil, vegetation, andor water resources, caused usually by excessive or inappropriate exploitation. Various functions of livestock include dairy production, meat production, draught labor and transportation. Land degradation and deforestation evergreen agriculture. 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. 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. Natural hazards are the conditions of the physical environment which lead to the existence of a high degradation hazard, for example steep slopes as a hazard for water erosion. Land degradation can go fast, as can be the case of deforestation or forest fires, but often land degradation is a very slow process.
Issues and goals 247 environmental degradation and disaster management social science notes is the nonliving, known as abiotic which includes such items as sunlight, soil, air, water, land, climate etc. Here you can download the free lecture notes of environmental studies pdf notes es pdf notes materials with multiple file links to download. 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. Land degradation is defined as the temporary or permanent decline in the productive capacity of the land, and the diminution of the productive potential, including its major land uses e. India is facing a severe problem of land degradation ie. Pdf acknowledged by world leaders as a global problem, land degradation has been taken seriously in three ways. Desertification affects the livelihoods of millions of people, as. Land degradation is an important problem in ethiopia, with more than 85 % of the land degraded to various degrees. Introduction land degradation and biodiversity loss are among the most pressing environmental challenges facing humanity. This can lead to unsustainable agricultural practices, further land degradation, exacerbated urban sprawl, and sociopolitical problems. Land degradation development is an international journal which seeks to promote rational study of the recognition, monitoring, control and rehabilitation of degradation in terrestrial environments. However, if acted upon quickly, there is a possibility for land reclamation and reversal of desertification.
Any change that decreases productivity of the land land clearing poor land management practices 2 3. 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 can also lead to climate change and affect human health. Oecd glossary of statistical terms land degradation. This study is guided by the eld conceptual framework presented in chap. This definition makes clear that a desertification is land degradation in the. Economics of land degradation and improvement in ethiopia. Yet slow but continued degradation can lead to virtually in reversible losses of resources from the ecosystem and the land will degrade beyond selfrepair or what we call destroyed or collapsed system. This will create much drier soil, which in turn is more vulnerable to erosion and runoff.
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. Land degradation is a process in which the value of the physical environment is affected by a combination of humaninduced processes acting upon the land. Land degradation is a process in which the value of the biophysical environment is affected by. Global drivers of land degradation and improvement. When the environment becomes less valuable or damaged, environmental degradation is said to occur. The environmental studies notes pdf es notes pdf book starts with the topics covering need for public awareness, natural resources and associated problems, structure and functions of an ecosystem. Desertification has been defined as land degradation in arid, semiarid, and dry subhumid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities11. Identifying drivers of land degradation in xilingol, china. What is land degradation and how does it affect ecosystems. Dictionary term of the day articles subjects businessdictionary business dictionary. Land degradation is a concept in which the value of the biophysical environment is affected by one or more combinations of human induced processes acting upon the land. Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as air, water and soil. Effects and recommendations susan ilyin executive summary livestock in ethiopia has an important economic, functional, and cultural significance. 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.
Land degradation is the major consequences of direct interference of human activities in the natural phenomenon. Effects of land degradation on agricultural activities with abstract, chapters 15, references and questionnaire. Land degradation, as a threat to smallholders in the tropics, attracts less attention than other global challenges. In this report, land degradation is defined as a negative trend 4 in land condition, caused by direct or indirect humaninduced processes including anthropogenic 5 climate change, expressed as longterm reduction or loss of at least one of the following. Prem l sankhayan, ole hofstad, a villagelevel economic model of land clearing, grazing, and wood harvesting for subsaharan africa. Effects of land degradation on agricultural activities. Land degradation and deforestation land degradation and deforestation. Recent estimates using satellite imagery show that land degradation hotspots over the last three decades cover about 23 % of the land area in the country.
In 2015, land degradation neutrality is likely to become a global target through the united nations convention to combat desertification and. Land degradation occurs in all kinds of landscapes over the world, but the drivers of land degradation vary from region to region. This process can be entirely natural in origin, or it can be accelerated or caused by human activities. Issues in the australian environment land degradation 1 2. Pdf land degradation control and its global environmental. 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. With increasing human population, trees around the world are cleared everyday to make way for agriculture in fertile lands to meet the increasing. Land degradation involves change in the properties of land and soil texture, color, grain size and its functions water holding capacity, infiltration, supporting plant life. It includes issues such as land degradation, deforestation, desertification, loss of biodiversity, land, water and air pollution, climate change, sea level rise and ozone depletion. Land degradation is harming the wellbeing of 32 billion people and the impact of its effects will only grow with time. Soil mapping and process modeling for sustainable land use management, 2017.
Land degradation is a change to land that makes it less useful for human beings. 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. Gis spatial modeling for land degradation assessment in tigray, ethiopia. Deforestation in agriculture accounts for 60% of global land degradation as well as about 30% of all manmade carbon emissions. Deforestation and climate change congressional research service summary efforts to mitigate climate change have focused on reducing carbon dioxide co 2 emissions into the atmosphere. The eld conceptual framework classifies the drivers of land degradation into two categories. The causes of land degradation can be divided into natural hazards, direct causes, and underlying causes. Identifying these drivers at the appropriate spatial scale is an essential prerequisite for developing and implementing appropriate areaspecific policies. Sustainable ways to reduce land degradation and desertification demand research and advocacy of sustainable land management practices.
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