Sustainable Land Management Harmonising Human Needs with Ecology

Manish Kumar Singh

IMG

Land degradation/desertification is an issue of global concern, impacting not just the productivity of the land but also the quality of the water, human health and the foundations of ecosystems that sustain all life (UNCCD, 2017; Davies, 2016). It interferes with ecosystem’s regulating and provisioning processes, including the global carbon cycle, hydrogen cycle and nutrients cycle. Because of that, numerous ecological and economic consequences have arisen, including soil erosion, famine, abnormal floods, deterioration of natural resources, waterless natural springs/streams, human-wildlife conflict, diminished livelihood options and increasing out-migration.

Land degradation also contributes to climate change by reducing the land’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide and releasing Greenhouse Gases (GHGs). Consequently, erratic rainfall, flooding, rising temperatures, frequency and severity of droughts, dry spells, and rising sea levels further exaggerate land degradation processes. Thus, land degradation and climate change would have grave consequences for the sustainability of natural resources and…read more on NOPR