Land degradation - wikipedia Land degradation Serious land degradation in Nauru after the depletion of the phosphate cover through mining Land degradation is a process in which the value of the biophysical environment is affected by a combination of human - induced processes acting upon the land. It is viewed as any change or disturbance to the land perceived to be deleterious or undesirable. Natural hazards are excluded as a cause ; however human activities can indirectly affect phenomena such as floods and bush fires. This is considered to be an important topic of the 21st century due to the implications land degradation has upon agronomic productivity, the environment, and its effects on food security. It is estimated that up to 40 % of the world 's agricultural land is seriously degraded. Contents 1 Measures 2 Different types 3 Causes 4 Effects 5 Sensitivity and resilience 6 Climate change 7 See also 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External links Measures Land degradation is a broad term that can be applied differently across a wide range of scenarios. There are four main ways of looking at land degradation and its impact on the environment around it : A temporary or permanent decline in the productive capacity of the land. This can be seen through a loss of biomass, a loss of actual productivity or in potential productivity, or a loss or change in vegetative cover and soil nutrients. Action in the land 's capacity to provide resources for human livelihoods. This can be measured from a base line of past land use. Loss of biodiversity : A loss of range of species or ecosystem complexity as a decline in the environmental quality. Shifting ecological risk : increased vulnerability of the environment or people to destruction or crisis. This is measured through a base line in the form of pre-existing risk of crisis or destruction. A problem with defining land degradation is that what one group of people might view as degradation, others might view as a benefit or opportunity. For example, planting crops at a location with heavy rainfall and steep slopes would create scientific and environmental concern regarding the risk of soil erosion by water, yet farmers could view the location as a favourable one for high crop yields. Different types Potato field with soil erosion In addition to the usual types of land degradation that have been known for centuries ( water, wind and mechanical erosion, physical, chemical and biological degradation ), four other types have emerged in the last 50 years : pollution, often chemical, due to agricultural, industrial, mining or commercial activities ; loss of arable land due to urban construction, road building, land conversion, agricultural expansion, etc. ; artificial radioactivity, sometimes accidental ; land - use constraints associated with armed conflicts. Overall, more than 36 types of land degradation can be assessed. All are induced or aggravated by human activities, e.g. sheet erosion, silting, aridification, salinization, urbanization, etc. Causes Overgrazing by livestock can lead to land degradation Land degradation is a global problem largely related to agricultural use. Causes include : Land clearance, such as clearcutting and deforestation Agricultural depletion of soil nutrients through poor farming practices Livestock including overgrazing and overdrafting Inappropriate irrigation and overdrafting Urban sprawl and commercial development Vehicle off - roading Quarrying of stone, sand, ore and minerals Increase in field size due to economies of scale, reducing shelter for wildlife, as hedgerows and copses disappear Exposure of naked soil after harvesting by heavy equipment Monoculture, destabilizing the local ecosystem Dumping of non-biodegradable trash, such as plastics Invasive Species Soil degradation, e.g. Soil contamination Soil erosion Soil acidification Loss of soil carbon Effects Soil erosion in a wheat field near Pullman, US Overcutting of vegetation occurs when people cut forests, woodlands and shrublands -- to obtain timber, fuelwood and other products -- at a pace exceeding the rate of natural regrowth. This is frequent in semi-arid environments, where fuelwood shortages are often severe. Overgrazing is the grazing of natural pastures at stocking intensities above the livestock carrying capacity ; the resulting decrease in the vegetation cover is a leading cause of wind and water erosion. It is a significant factor in Afghanistan. The growing population pressure, during 1980 - 1990, has led to decreases in the already small areas of agricultural land per person in six out of eight countries ( 14 % for India and 21 % for Pakistan ). Population pressure also operates through other mechanisms. Improper agricultural practices, for instance, occur only under constraints such as the saturation of good lands under population pressure which leads settlers to cultivate too shallow or too steep soils, plough fallow land before it has recovered its fertility, or attempt to obtain multiple crops by irrigating unsuitable soils. High population density is not always related to land degradation. Rather, it is the practices of the human population that can cause a landscape to become degraded. Populations can be a benefit to the land and make it more productive than it is in its natural state. Land degradation is an important factor of internal displacement in many African and Asian countries. Severe land degradation affects a significant portion of the Earth 's arable lands, decreasing the wealth and economic development of nations. As the land resource base becomes less productive, food security is compromised and competition for dwindling resources increases, the seeds of famine and potential conflict are sown. Sensitivity and resilience Sensitivity and resilience are measures of the vulnerability of a landscape to degradation. These two factors combine to explain the degree of vulnerability. Sensitivity is the degree to which a land system undergoes change due to natural forces, human intervention or a combination of both. Resilience is the ability of a landscape to absorb change, without significantly altering the relationship between the relative importance and numbers of individuals and species that compose the community. It also refers to the ability of the region to return to its original state after being changed in some way. The resilience of a landscape can be increased or decreased through human interaction based upon different methods of land - use management. Land that is degraded becomes less resilient than undegraded land, which can lead to even further degradation through shocks to the landscape. Climate change Significant land degradation from seawater inundation, particularly in river deltas and on low - lying islands, is a potential hazard that was identified in a 2007 IPCC report. IPCC Assessment reports : First ( 1990 ) 1992 sup. Second ( 1995 ) Third ( 2001 ) Fourth ( 2007 ) Fifth ( 2014 ) Sixth ( 2022 ) UNFCCC WMO UNEP As a result of sea - level rise from climate change, salinity levels can reach levels where agriculture becomes impossible in very low - lying areas. See also Earth sciences portal Environment portal Land improvement Land reclamation Sustainable agriculture Environmental impact of irrigation Desertification Soil # Degradation Economics of Land Degradation Initiative References Jump up ^ Conacher, Arthur ; Conacher, Jeanette ( 1995 ). Rural Land Degradation in Australia. South Melbourne, Victoria : Oxford University Press Australia. p. 2. ISBN 0 - 19 - 553436 - 0. Jump up ^ Johnson, D.L., S.H. Ambrose, T.J. Bassett, M.L. Bowen, D.E. Crummey, J.S. Isaacson, D.N. Johnson, P. Lamb, M. Saul, and A.E. Winter - Nelson. 1997. Meanings of environmental terms. Journal of Environmental Quality 26 : 581 - 589. Jump up ^ Eswaran, H. ; R. Lal ; P.F. Reich ( 2001 ). `` Land degradation : an overview ''. Responses to Land Degradation. Proc. 2nd. International Conference on Land Degradation and Desertification. New Delhi, India : Oxford Press. Archived from the original on 2012 - 01 - 20. Retrieved 2012 - 02 - 05. Jump up ^ Ian Sample ( 2007 - 08 - 31 ). `` Global food crisis looms as climate change and population growth strip fertile land ''. The Guardian. Retrieved 2008 - 07 - 23. ^ Jump up to : Stockings, Mike ; Murnaghan, Niamh. ( 2000 ), Land Degradation - Guidelines for Field Assessment ( PDF ), Norwich, UK, pp. 7 -- 15 Jump up ^ Brabant Pierre, 2010. A land degradation assessment and mapping method. A standard guideline proposal. Les dossiers thématiques du CSFD. N ° 8. November 2010. CSFD / Agropolis International, Montpellier, France. 52 pp. Jump up ^ ILRI ( 1989 ), Effectiveness and Social / Environmental Impacts of Irrigation Projects : a Review ( PDF ), In : Annual Report 1988 of the International Institute for Land Reclamation and Improvement ( ILRI ), Wageningen, The Netherlands, pp. 18 -- 34 Jump up ^ Terminski, Bogumil, Towards Recognition and Protection of Forced Environmental Migrants in the Public International Law : Refugee or IDPs Umbrella ( December 1, 2011 ). Policy Studies Organization ( PSO ) Summit, December 2011 Jump up ^ Johnson, Douglas ; Lewis, Lawrence. ( 2007 ), Land Degradation ; Creation and Destruction, Maryland, USA Further reading `` Human Induced Land Degradation is Preventable ''. United States Department of Agriculture - Natural Resources Conservation Service. Archived from the original on 2006 - 09 - 22. Retrieved 2006 - 06 - 20. This article incorporates text in the public domain produced by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Eswaran, H. ; R. Lal ; P.F. Reich ( 2001 ). `` Land degradation : an overview ''. Responses to Land Degradation. Proc. 2nd. International Conference on Land Degradation and Desertification. New Delhi, India : Oxford Press. Archived from the original on 2012 - 01 - 20. Retrieved 2006 - 06 - 20. D.L. Johnson and L.A. Lewis Land Degradation : Creation and Destruction, 2nd edition, Rowman and Littlefield, Lanham, Boulder, New York, Toronto, Oxford, 2007. External links The Economics of Land Degradation Initiative - Homepage Land use General Degradation Development / Conversion Planning Conflict Land management Sustainable land management Landscaping Integrated landscape management Land grabbing Land consumption Land loss Habitat loss Illegal construction Land reclamation Land rehabilitation Landscape ecology Rangeland management Environmental planning Leopold matrix Watertable control Developed environments Built - up area Property Property Subdivision ( land ) Real estate developer Land development bank Land ( economics ) Customary land Related fields Soil Soil science Soil compaction Soil pollution Overpopulation Pollution Deforestation Urban planning Infrastructure Urban renewal Agriculture Permaculture Drainage system ( agriculture ) Sustainable agriculture Categories : Land use Human impact on the environment General Anthropocene Environmental issues List of issues Human impact Impact assessment Planetary boundaries Causes Agriculture fishing irrigation meat production palm oil Energy industry biofuels biodiesel coal electricity generation nuclear power oil shale petroleum reservoirs wind power Genetic pollution Industrialization Land use Manufacturing cleaning agents concrete plastics nanotechnology paint paper pesticides pharmaceuticals and personal care Mining Overdrafting Overfishing Overgrazing Overexploitation Overpopulation Particulates Pollution Quarrying Reservoirs Tourism Transport aviation roads shipping Urbanization urban sprawl war Effects Biodiversity threats Biodiversity loss Climate change Global warming Runaway climate change Coral reefs Deforestation Defaunation Desertification Ecocide Erosion Environmental degradation Freshwater cycle Habitat destruction Holocene extinction Nitrogen cycle Land degradation Land surface effects on climate Loss of green belts Phosphorus cycle Ocean acidification Ozone depletion Resource depletion Water degradation Water scarcity Mitigation Birth control Cleaner production Climate change mitigation Climate engineering Ecological engineering Environmental engineering Environmental mitigation Industrial ecology Mitigation banking Organic farming Reforestation urban Restoration ecology Sustainable consumption Waste minimization Commons Category by country assessment mitigation Natural resources Air Pollution / quality Ambient standards ( USA ) Index Indoor developing nations Law Clean Air Act ( USA ) Ozone depletion Emissions Airshed Trading Deforestation ( REDD ) Energy Law Resources Fossil fuels ( peak oil ) Geothermal Nuclear Solar sunlight shade Tidal Wave Wind Land Arable peak farmland Degradation Law property Management habitat conservation Minerals mining law sand peak rights Soil conservation fertility health resilience Use planning reserve Life Biodiversity Bioprospecting Biosphere Bushfood Bushmeat Fisheries law management Food Forests genetic resources law management Game law Gene bank Herbalist plants Marine conservation Non-timber forest products Rangeland Seed bank Wildlife conservation management Wood Water Types / location Aquifer storage and recovery Drinking Fresh Groundwater pollution recharge remediation Hydrosphere Ice bergs glacial polar Irrigation Rain harvesting Stormwater Surface water Wastewater reclaimed Aspects Desalination Floods Law Leaching Sanitation Conflict Conservation Peak water Pollution Privatization Quality Right Resources management policy Related Commons enclosure global land tragedy of Economics ecological land Ecosystem services Exploitation overexploitation Earth Overshoot Day Management adaptive Natural capital accounting Nature reserve Systems ecology Urban ecology Wilderness Resource Common - pool Conflict ( perpetuation ) Curse Depletion Extraction Nationalism Renewable / Non-renewable Portals Agriculture and agronomy Energy Environment Fishing Forestry Mining Water Wetlands Category agencies law management ministries organizations Colleges Natural resources Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Land_degradation&oldid=847436672 '' Categories : Environmental issues with soil Human activities with impact on the environment Physical geography Talk Contents About Wikipedia भोजपुरी Català Deutsch Español Bahasa Indonesia Kiswahili Polski Slovenščina Svenska Українська Tiếng Việt 中文 4 more Edit links This page was last edited on 25 June 2018, at 10 : 34 ( UTC ). 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Question: explain the reasons for land degradation in india
Answer: The growing population pressure, during 1980-1990, has led to decreases in the already small areas of agricultural land per person