Land Degradation

Land, like air and water, is a critical resource for humanity. There are many cases where land degradation takes place. However, it becomes vital to have complete knowledge on what is land degradation and the causes of land degradation. Food insecurity, global warming, and ecosystem loss are the reasons behind land degradation, defined as the deterioration and failure to the production of good quality of soils in the present and future. Land degradation is occurring at an alarming rate, resulting in a severe drop in agricultural and rangeland production worldwide.

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Issues Related to Land Degradation

Land degradation is the most serious environmental issue, which is growing at an alarming rate. According to various research, half the total land area is affected due to land degradation. These environmental issues result in the release of soil carbon and nitrous oxide into the atmosphere, further leading to the climatic condition. Scientists recently warned that unsustainable agriculture methods were causing the loss of 24 billion tonnes of valuable soil each year.

Due to their massive influence on human security and the heightened conflict potential produced by their impacts on three conflict constellations: water scarcity, land availability, food insecurity, land degradation, and climate change are danger multipliers. Population increase and growing living standards are the critical background factors for these three conflict constellations. Migration serves as both a means of avoiding conflict and a source of new competition.

Land degradation is a worldwide issue that impacts everyone, resulting in food insecurity and increased food costs, climate change and environmental risks, and a loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Even though there is a correlation between land degradation and war, we must avoid blaming the victims. The "decrease in the capacity of the land to supply ecosystem goods and services over a period of time" is a common definition of land degradation, emphasizing the temporal component of the process. This terminology is particularly relevant when discussing land degradation and development in the context of the long-term development of resilient and secure energy systems while also addressing environmental issues.

What are the Causes of Land Degradation?

It is important to know what are the causes of land degradation. There are different reasons behind land degradation. Below are the significant causes of land degradation happening-

Deforestation

Forests serve a critical role in soil fertility maintenance by losing their leaves, which contain several nutrients. Forests also aid in the binding of soil particles through the use of vegetative roots. As a result, logging of forests will hurt the soil.

Extreme use of Fertilizers

Fertilizers are necessary for improving food production, but widespread usage has raised concerns about their potential environmental impact. It is one of the reasons for land degradation. Excessive fertilizer usage has resulted in an imbalance in the number of certain nutrients in the soil. This imbalance hurts the vegetation. Any chemical used to manage undesired herbaceous plants (herbicides), woody plants (arboncides), insects (insecticides), or any agent with biocidal action affecting rodents, arachnids, or any other population is referred to as a pesticide. The usage of insecticides skyrocketed after the Second World War.

Although their short-term effectiveness in reducing pests cannot be disputed, their long-term usefulness in managing pests or their overall impact on ecosystems cannot.

Overgrazing

One of the causes of land degradation due to human activities is overgrazing. Overgrazing of pastures occurs when the livestock population grows. Grass and other forms of vegetation are unable to survive and thrive in the region as a result, and soil erosion results from the lack of vegetative cover. Hundreds of millions of African and Asia graze livestock on grasslands and rangelands with insufficient carrying capacity due to poor quality or inconsistent rainfall. Overgrazing poses a challenge to pastoralists and their rangelands.

Water Logging

Water logging is considered the main factor responsible for land degradation. Groundwater levels rise as a result of excessive irrigation and poor drainage in the fields. When the groundwater combines with surface water used for irrigation, a condition known as water logging occurs. After evaporation, groundwater transports the dissolved salts of the soil to the surface, where they create a coating or sheet of salt. This situation is called salinity.

Desertification

One of the significant effects of land degradation is desertification. Desertification involves the overall land degradation process that occurs in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid environments due to various variables, including weather fluctuations and human activity. Desertification is described by the United Nations Conference on Desertification (1977) as the "diminution or loss of land's biological capacity, which might eventually lead to desert-like conditions.

Soil Erosion

The principal land degradation process is accelerated soil erosion by water and wind, which results from altered relationships between environmental elements as a result of human activities. Reduced fertility and soil erosion are caused by changes in the soil's physical, chemical, or biological features. Water logging, chemical pollution, acidity, salinity, and alkalinity are examples of other types of land degradation.

Wasteland

Lands that are economically unproductive, environmentally unfit, and susceptible to environmental degradation are called wastelands. According to estimates, India's wastelands cover almost half of the nation.

Conclusion

Land degradation can have a severe effect on human life and ecology. It is vital to keep the environment safe and avoid these significant effects of land degradation.