Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas UPSC [Video Provided at the End]
Source : PIB
GS III : Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment

Why in News ?

Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change called for generating awareness towards preventing and restoring land degradation for healthier and sustainable ecosystems. 

• Minister of State released the latest version of Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India.

June 17 : Desertification and Drought day was commemorated by the Ministry

• Aims to generate large scale awareness towards understanding the key role of land in all environmental and economic concerns that world as well as India is facing now-a days.
• Event also observed release of Coffee Table Book “India Hosting UNCCD-COP 14” and a short film on UNCCD-COP 14.
• India is signatory to the United Nations Convention on Combating Desertification (UNCCD).

Key Facts

• It has been published by Space Application Centre, ISRO, Ahmedabad.
• The Atlas provides state wise area of degraded lands for the time frame 2018-19.
• It also provides the change analysis for the duration of 15 years, from 2003-05 to 2018-19.
• Atlas is useful as a ready reference.
• Also be helpful in strengthening the envisaged National Action Plan for achieving land restoration targets by providing important baseline and temporal data and technical inputs.
• India aims Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) and restoration of 26 Million ha of degraded land by 2030 which focus on sustainable and optimum utilisation of land resources.

Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas UPSC Perspective

• Atlas presents state-wise desertification and land degradation status maps depicting land use, process of degradation and severity level.
• This was prepared using IRS Advanced Wide Field Sensor (AWiFS) data of 2011-13 and 2003-05 time frames in GIS environment.
• Area under desertification / land degradation for the both time frames and changes are reported state-wise as well as for the entire country.
• The outputs are helpful in prioritising areas to be taken up for minimising the impact of desertification and land degradation.

Desertification and Land Degradation

• As per the Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India, prepared by the Space Applications Centre for the period 2011-2013, 96.4 million hectares i.e. 29.32% of the Total Geographical Area of the country is undergoing the process of desertification/land degradation.
• Approximately 6.35% of land in Uttar Pradesh is undergoing desertification/degradation.
• What is the reason ?
  • As per the Special Report on Climate Change & Land of Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change released in August, 2019
    1. Land use change
    2. Land-use intensification
    3. Climate change have contributed to desertification and land degradation.
• What are the impact ?
  • Food security
  • Terrestrial ecosystems
  • Desertification and land degradation in many regions.

Government measures to tackle Desertification and Land Degradation

• Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) through Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation (IISWC) has developed several location specific bio-engineering measures to check soil erosion due to run-off of rain water.
• Developed sand dune stabilisation and shelter belt technology to check wind erosion.
• For Saline, sodic and waterlogged soils
  • Developed reclamation technology, sub-surface drainage, bio-drainage, agroforestry interventions and salt tolerant crop varieties to improve the productivity of saline has adopted.
• National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) demonstrated technologies namely drought tolerant short duration varieties, crop diversification, integrated farming systems, soil and water conservation measures etc. in 151 most vulnerable districts in the country to minimize vulnerability against climate change.
• National Afforestation Programme (NAP) for ecological restoration of degraded forest areas under which an area of over 2 million ha has been approved for afforestation at a cost of Rs.3874 crore.
• Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), Nagar Van Yojana  also help in checking degradation and restoration of forest landscape.
• India promote tree outside forests area primarily through expansion of agroforestry, optimum use of wastelands and vacant lands.
• India has raised and focus its ambition to restore degraded land from 21 mha to 26 mha by 2030.

Watch Video : Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas UPSC

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