Land degradation is defined as the longterm loss of ecosystem function and productivity caused by. The objective of this report is to shed light on the main characteristics and dynamics of an emerging market that connects natural capital and landscape investments with. Pdf land degradation can be described as an environmental phenomenon affecting dry lands, a longterm decline in ecosystem function and productivity. Land degradation can contribute directly to poverty by reducing the availability of other valuable goods and services important to poor households for example, fuel wood, construction materials, wild foods, and medicinal plants and by increasing the demands on labor needed to forage for such goods. It thus comprises soils, terrain, climate, hydrology, vegetation and fauna, as well as human activities land management. What are causes and effects of environmental degradation. The causes of land degradation can be divided into natural hazards, direct causes, and underlying causes. Land degradation is a global concern for sustainable development, conservation of biodiversity and mitigating and adapting to climate change. Defining land degradation and improvement land includes not only the soil resource, but also the water, vegetation, landscape, and microclimatic components ofan ecosystem land degradation refers to a temporary or permanent decline in the productive capacity ofthe land,2 or its potential for environmental management. It also refers to the deterioration or degradation of land surfaces. Thirty per cent of the earth s land area or abou t 3. It thus comprises soils, terrain, climate, hydrology, vegetation and fauna, as well as human activities land.
A landslide is often viewed as an example of land degradation in. Land degradation is a natural or humaninduced process figure 1 that negatively affects the land to function effectively within an. Forest degradation occurs when the ecosystem functions of the forest are degraded but where the area remains forested rather cleared anon. Global drivers of land degradation and improvement springerlink. Causes and impacts of land degradation and desertification.
This is a broad definition, notably including deforestation, but only. These, in turn diminish the availability of nutrients and water to the plants and ultimately the productivity of the land. The combined reclassification is shown in the following map and table figures 4 and 5. In some areas sea level rise has exacerbated coastal erosion medium confidence. Degradation occurs when earths natural resources are depleted. A landslide is often viewed as an example of land degradation in action it changes the features. According to article 1 point f, the definition of land degradation. Cause and effects of land degradation environmental sciences.
The land degradation neutrality ldn fund, copromoted by the united nations convention to combat desertification unccd and mirova, is a firstofitskind impact investment fund investing in profitgenerating sustainable land management slm and land restoration projects worldwide. Drylands are more vulnerable to natural and human destruction due to the small water containment in soil. In turn, land use change is driving land degradation. Direct causes are unsuitable land use and inappropriate land management practices, for example the cultivation of steep slopes without measures for soil conservation.
About one third of all agricultural land is either highly or moderately degraded. It was estimated that the original forest cover was approximately six billion hectares bryant et. Changes in worlds climate due to extreme alterations of average atmospheric. The main reasons for unproductiveness or degradation of soils are as follows. Forests play an important role in maintaining fertility of soil by shedding their leaves. A common example is excessively farming on a piece of land without allowing time for it to remain fallow and build up nutrients.
Global assessment of land degradation and improvement. Naturally occurring, ironsulphides underlie large areas of australias lowlying coastal areas. The resources which are affected include water, air and soil. The main outcome of land degradation is a substantial reduction in the productivity of land.
Degradation of natural resources and its impact on. Status and trends of land degradation and restoration. Overpopulation means, over use of land and resources. Soil degradation refers to negative changes in the physical. Apr 27, 2019 land degradation is a negative change in the quality of land, usually induced by a mixture of natural and manmade causes. Our land, water and soil are compromised when people exhaust resources or release harmful chemicals into the air. Deforestation is the conversion of forest to nonforest land and can result in land degradation. Using this resource in the wrong way would lead to a fall in its value. In the agricultural development context, the absence of proper uses of lands and unfavorable climate are defined as problems. Land degradation is any change in the condition of the land which reduces its productive potential.
Soil erosion and land degradation through various means further affect the physical viability of the soil profile and the environment in terms of solid, water, air ratio as well as chemical and biological balances. Land degrada tion then refers to chemical and biophysical changes in land that reduce both its quantity and quality. In 2015, mirova was selected as the structuring partner, as well as potential fund manager of this fund. Land degradation includes all process that diminishes the capacity of land resources to perform essential functions and services in ecosystems hurni et al. Global environmental benefits of land degradation control on. A form of land degradation associated with the coast is acid sulfate soils. 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 degradation is a process in which the value of the biophysical environment is affected by a combination of humaninduced processes acting upon the land. Forest degradation is land degradation that occurs in forest land. Large scale deforestation is taking place as more land is needed for building houses and industries. Desertification unccd, paris, 1994, desertification means land degradation in arid, semi. Land degradation is defined under the unccd as reduction or loss, in arid, semiarid and dry subhumid areas, of the biological or economic productivity and complexity of rainfed cropland, irrigated cropland, or range, pasture, forest and woodlands resulting from land. Land degradation food and agriculture organization of the united. Land pollution can mean the misuse of land by human beings.
Global drivers of land degradation and improvement. The land degradation processes include soil erosion, nutrient depletion, salinization, desertification and soil acidification or alkalinisation. Agrobiodiversityagrobiodiversity%20thematicsoilbiodiv. It is the deterioration in the quality of land, its topsoil, vegetation, andor water resources, caused usually by excessive or inappropriate exploitation. The environmental consequences of land degradation are vast, including amplified soil losses, water quality deterioration, biodiversity decline and degradation of ecosystem services and corresponding values, especially if actual land uses disrespect capability natural use, in which cases land is in a. Land degradation classes biophysical land degradation classes are identified by the combination of the overall status in provisioning biophysical ecosystem services and the trend of these services biomass, soil, water and biodiversity as described above. Keeping in mind the severity of the problems facing ecosystems highlighted by the.
Everincreasing demands on the land from economic development, burgeoning cities, and growing rural populations are driving unprecedented land use change. Land, air and water pollution is complementary to overpopulation. Land degradation, as defined by the intergovernmental. The health impacts of desertification and drought pdf, 1.
Nov 12, 2015 land degradation has occurred on about 30 % of global land area between 1982 and 2006 chap. For reasons outlined above, poor farmers are led to clear forest, cultivate steep slopes without conservation, overgraze rangelands, make unbalanced fertilizer applications, and the other causes noted above. The change in the characteristic and quality of soil which adversely affect its fertility is called as degradation. The degradation also impacts our wildlife, plants, animals and microorganisms. Global warming beyond present day will further exacerbate ongoing land degradation. Land degradation occurs slowly and cumulatively and has long lasting impacts on rural people who become increasing vulnerable muchena 2008. Land degradation is a problem that affects all regions, not only the drylands and developing countries. Chapter 6 causes of land degradation food and agriculture. Degraded land is defined as the state of land which. Findings on global patterns of degradation indicate that commercial timber extraction and logging activities account for more than 70% of total degradation in latin america and subtropical asia. Soil erosion is a natural process that removes soil from the land. Net productivity change reflects both natural and humaninduced processes of degradation and im provement.
Environmental degradation, including depletion of renewable and nonrenewable resources and pollution of air, water and soils, can be a significant source of stress upon societies see box 1. Degradation definition and meaning collins english dictionary. This is a global issue unced 1992, unep 2006, yet there is no authoritative measure of land degradation or its counterpoint land improvement. Environmental degradation, to a large scale, is the result of market failure, namely the nonexistent or poorly functioning markets for environmental goods and services. In india alone, about 188 million hectares or almost 57% of total land area is degraded sehgel and abrol, 1994. Definition of land land is commonly used to refer to a section of the earth. Ipbes definition of land degradation see chapter 1 and glossary states it clearly, but it is. Assessment of the current state of land degradation or deserti. 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. This is one of the striking reasons for environmental degradation. Soil erosion is the most widely recognised and most common form of land degradation and, therefore, a major cause of falling productivity. Instead, drawing particularly on unrisd work, it focuses largely on the social impacts of and responses to environmental degradation in rural areas of the third world.
In this report, land degradation is defined as a negative trend 4 in land condition, caused by direct or indirect humaninduced processes including anthropogenic. According to article 1 of the united nations convention to combat. Cause and effects of land degradation environmental. Effects of wetland degradation on the hydrological regime.
The assessment report on land degradation and restoration. Land degradation is, usually, the result of complex interrelationships between biophysical and socioeconomic issues which affect many people and their land, specially in the tropics and developing countries. Environmental mitigation, compensatory mitigation, or mitigation banking, are terms used primarily by the united states government and the related environmental industry to describe projects or programs intended to offset known impacts to an existing historic or natural resource such as a stream, wetland, endangered species, archeological site, paleontological site or historic structure. The problem of desertification is the diminution or degradation of biological potential of land which ultimately may lead to desert like conditions. It is a global issue with millions of people being affected, even forcing them to relocate in some cases. Land use planning is centered around a participatory definition of future land uses. The annual loss of land is expected to go up to 10 million hectares by 2000 a. When these normally waterlogged soils are exposed to air by drainage or drought, the iron sulphides oxidise produc. Land shortage and poverty, taken together, lead to nonsustainable land management practices, meaning the direct causes of degradation. It refers to reduction or loss of the biological or economic. Land degradation on agricultural land threat global effects of land degradation, it is impor ens the sustainability of growth and the welfare tant to remember that local and national effects of the many people who depend on agriculture are usually the most important.
Not all human impacts on land result in degradation according to the definition of land degradation used in this report section 4. Degradation definition and meaning collins english. Land degradation also interrupts the regulating and provisioning services of ecosystems, in particular nutrient cycling, the global carbon cycle and the hydrological cycle gef 2006. The gef definition of land degradation ld sets the thematic. Oct 01, 2018 degradation is currently affecting 25% of earths land and 40% of earths agricultural land. Sustainable land management slm is a topic of contemporary significance. It affects the land s topsoil, the vegetation that grows on it, and the nearby water sources.
It does not attempt to cover the full range of social issues associated with all types of environmental degradation. What is environmental degradation, causes and effects. In this unique situation, environmental degradation is a specific instance of utilization or generation externalities reflected by uniqueness amongst private and social. Read this article to learn about the meaning, factors responsible, prevention and control measures of land degradation. A landslide is often viewed as an example of land degradation in action it changes the features of the land, causes destruction of houses, and disrupts activities. The decision to strive to achieve a land degradation neutral world in the context of sustainable. Arable land loss estimated at 30 to 35 times the historical rate. The term degradation is used to describe changes that are additional to those occurring naturally and carries with it the notion of change that is undesirable and brought about by humans. Loss of natural fertility of soil because of loss of nutrients.
Degradation of natural resources and its impact on environment. The term land degradation involves both soil and vegetation degradation. It is viewed as any change or disturbance to the land perceived to be deleterious or undesirable. The process results in widespread deterioration of ecosystems with the loss of plant and animal production. Land degradation is the major consequences of direct interference of human activities in the natural phenomenon.
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 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. Desertification is now defined in the unccd as land degradation in the arid, semiarid and dry subhumid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic. During the first pdf b 2 year phase of the project. Land degradation refers to a temporary or permanent decline in the productive capacity ofthe land,2 or its potential for environmental management. Land degradation reduces the production of biomass and vegetation cover for all forms of land use. Delaying the implementation of proven actions to combat land degradation will result in the necessary steps becoming progressively more difficult and costly. What is forest degradation and what are various causes of it. Land degradation and desertification european parliament. What is forest degradation and what are various causes of. Generally, land degradation has a number of environmental impacts on regional and global level. Land degradation affects 1, 5 billion people globally. Global assessment of land degradation and improvement glada. Land degradation and slm typologies food and agriculture.
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