Achieving zero net land degradation in Indian forest: prospects and challenges

Abstract

Land is the most important natural resource which embodies soil, water, associated flora and fauna involving the total ecosystem, and on which all the activities of human beings are based. An ever increasing human and cattle population have enormous demands on land resources. These pressures have led to drastic changes in the proportion of land utilized for agricultural activities, urbanization and industrial development. Degradation of land is the result of both biotic and abiotic factors. Human and animal pressure on land, over-exploitation of soil and water resources, unscientific land use, and natural calamities like drought and floods are major factors responsible for land degradation. Desertification alongwith climate change and the loss of biodiversity were identified as the greatest challenges to sustainable development during the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. This gave birth to three Rio Conventions, namely the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Globally, desertification is threatening the livelihoods of 1 billion people in over 100 countries, and each year 12 million hectare (M ha) of arable land are lost due to drought. The economic costs of desertification and land degradation are estimated at USD 490 billion/year. Avoiding land degradation through sustainable land management can generate up to USD 1.4 trillion of economic benefits as well as it provides huge amount of ecosystem goods and services. The 2030 agenda for sustainable development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. There are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which call for action by all developed and developing countries in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests. SDG 15 urges countries to protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss. More specifically, target 15.3 aims to combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world by 2030.