What is Desertification

• Desertification can be described as “the elimination or reduction of a land’s biological capacity that can result in conditions that resemble deserts”
• Man-made desertification is affecting around 76.15% of Indian areas of desert. In one way or another, additionally, 19.5% of the area is classified as decertified. The majority of this region is in the eastern region of Rajasthan, located in a parallel line with the Aravallis foothills and the range from northeast to southwest
• In semi-arid or arid regions, the pressure increases due to the dry climate and the slow rate of regeneration, overgrazing, mining, etc
• The phenomenon of desertification is caused by tree cutting. That manifests itself in the affected area as a decline in soil fertility, increased aridity, and extreme temperatures

Causes for Desertification

Although desertification may result from natural causes, in most instances, human intervention has exacerbated the conditions of drought in dry areas. This could happen in any climate area or ecosystem and result from the exploitation of man and the ecosystem. The vast majority of deserts in recent times have arisen from any of the following human actions.

• Drought, soil erosion, and the deterioration of soil fertility cause slowing plant growth because of excessive grazing and uncontrolled use of grazing areas in addition to the indiscriminate cutting of trees as well as forest resources
• Excessive mining for limestone coal or any other mineral in semi-arid or arid zones destroys vegetation trees, as well as the destruction of the conditions that support the growth of vegetation
• Land use that is not economically viable for agriculture on marginal land, causing erosion of the soil and impacting neighboring productive land
• Uneconomic and extensive extraction of water resources, resulting in seepage
• Reduction in the water table and soil salinization problems.

Impacts of Desertification

• By reducing the potential of ecosystems, desertification reduces the yield of crops and makes them less reliable. Therefore, it has an effect on the security of food for those living in areas affected. To meet the most urgent needs of their families, people devise an emergency plan of action that can lead to desertification and hinder development
• Impacts of desertification can increase climate crises (droughts) as well as political turmoil (wars), which frequently lead to suffering, displacement, and death for millions of individuals across the globe
• The consequences of these, in turn, affect the economic performance of developing nations that are impacted by desertification, specifically when they are left with no other resources other than their agriculture. This is especially the case for African countries located in dry zones. Their economies aren’t able to handle the growing negative effects of desertification. They are forced to manage emergencies caused due to drought and desertification. The growing burden of debt hinders their ability to make effective investments to stop the downward spiral of underdevelopment
• Desertification can also have consequences globally due to the effect it has on carbon transfer. The soils that are rich in carbon, which is typically found in dry areas, hold large quantities of this component. The destruction of these soils has an extremely powerful impact on carbon cycles and enhances greenhouse effects because of releases of carbon
• Another consequence of desertification on both local and global scales is the loss of biodiversity due to the degrading habitats of both vegetal and animal species and microorganisms. This causes the genetic loss of species and plant varieties that live within fragile ecosystems. Reduced biodiversity directly impacts the health and food supply of local populations that depend on a variety of species of animals and plants. This is also detrimental to all of humanity.

The process of desertification in India

• In India, around 76.15% of the total desert area is due to the man-made process of desertification. A further 19.5% of the area is subject to moderate or mild desertification
• This region is located mostly in eastern Rajasthan in the northeast to a southwest zone that is parallel to the highlands of Aravalis
• The primary causes for desertification throughout this area are the growth of sand cover and the shifting dunes due to erosion by wind
• Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India: It is one of the results of the MoEFCC funded national project titled “Desertification Status Mapping of India”, which was carried out in collaboration with the Space Applications Centre (SAC), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
  • This Atlas contains Desertification/Land Degradation Status Maps that show the use of land, the process of Degradation, and the Severity Level. Additionally, it has the area statistics that are consolidated for the entire country and state-wise, for the 2011-13 time period, and reports on the change
  • It shows 96.40 million hectares of degrading land, i.e., 29.32% of the Total Geographic Area (TGA) of the country in the years 2011-13
  • The most significant cause of degrading the land that is occurring in this country is the process of Water Erosion (10.98%). The second-largest process can be Vegetation Degradation (8.91%) and will be followed by erosion by winds (5.55 5 %).

Measures taken by India to Curb Desertification

• India has signed on to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
• In 2001, the National Action Plan for Combating Desertification was created to take the appropriate steps to resolve desertification issues
• These are some main programs currently in operation to address the issue of degradation of land and desertification:
  • Integrated Watershed Management Programme,
  • National Afforestation Programme
  • National Mission for Green India
  • The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme
  • Soil Conservation for the Catchment of River Valley Project and Flood Prone River
  • National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas
  • Desert Development Programme
  • Fodder and feed development scheme – component of Grassland Development including Grass Reserves, Command Area Development and Water Management program etc.

Above are the measures taken by India to Curb Desertification apart from these measures, the first time India organised an edition of UNCCD COP in the year 2019 on 13th September.

Natural Desertification

• The Asia and Pacific region, an area of around 4.361 million, has been created from natural desertification. The areas that are classified as cool, subtropical, coastal, rain shadows, and interior deserts of continental origin
• The Polar regions around the globe are also a kind of desert. Water is a given; there is plenty of it, but since it’s in the form of frozen, it isn’t readily available to plants and animals
• The Gobi Desert in northwestern Asia has freezing temperatures. The Ladakh region in Jammu and Kashmir covers 0.71 lakh square Km. It is located in an elevation of around 11,000 feet, where cold conditions are prevalent for 5-6 months over a year. It is also an icy desert.

Global Efforts to Prevent Desertification

• The Bonn Challenge is one of the global efforts to prevent desertification, which will restore 150 million and 350 million hectares of deforested and degraded land in the world by 2020 and 2030 respectively
• Goal 15 of Sustainable Development Goals 2030: This goal declares that “we are determined to protect the planet from degrading, including through sustainable consumption/production”
• United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification: Established in 1994, it is the only legally binding international agreement that links environment and sustainable land management
• Every year, the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought (held every 17th) is observed
• Global Environment Facility (GEF)’s initiative of The Great Green Wall, in which eleven countries from Sahel-Saharan Africa have gathered to combat land degradation. They will also restore their landscape by dinging native plants to life.

Conclusion

Effective Implementation of measures taken is imperative to control desertification, if not stop. Desertification can be stopped with the cumulative efforts of everyone.