Degradation is the process of something becoming worse or weaker, or being made worse or weaker. Brief for gsdr 2015 the concept of sustainable development. Reclamation efforts may be concerned with the improvement of rainfalldeficient areas by irrigation, the removal of detrimental constituents from salty or alkali lands, the diking and draining of tidal marshes, the smoothing and revegetation of. Desertification is a type of land degradation in drylands in which biological productivity is lost due to natural processes or induced by human activities whereby fertile areas become increasingly more arid. Land degradation neutrality target setting programme land.
Read this article to learn about the meaning, factors responsible, prevention and control measures of land degradation. Degradation is, by definition, a process of change over time. Addition of cosubstrates, and anaerobic pretreatment of polluted soils also increases the degradation process. 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 degradation is a process through which the natural environment is compromised in some way, reducing biological diversity and the general health of the environment. The salt accumulation may lead to apartial or completeloss ofthe soil capacity to providethe required amountsofwaterto plants. Degradation definition is the act or process of degrading. This process is applied prior to major decisions and commitments being made. Since we are mainly concerned here with soils for agricultural purposes, we define land degradation as being. Land degradation indicators and management options in the desert environment of abu dhabi, united arab emirates mahmoud ali abdelfattah currently, soil resources dep.
Induced degradation results from inappropriate land use and management. Soil degradation, defined as lowering and losing of soil functions, is becoming more and more serious worldwide in recent decades, and poses a threat to agricultural production and terrestrial ecosystem. Land degradation wikipedia economics of land degradation and improvement in kenya springerlink background information mohales hoek land degradation. Information and translations of land degradation in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Land degradation is the reduction or loss of the biological or economic productivity and complexity of rainfed cropland, irrigated cropland, or range, pasture, forest or woodlands resulting from natural processes, land uses or other human activities and habitation patterns such as land contamination, soil erosion and the destruction of the vegetation cover. As indicated by the ipat equation, environmental impact i or. It is the spread of arid areas caused by a variety of factors, such as through climate change particularly the current global warming and through the overexploitation of soil through. In this report, land degradation is defined as a negative trend 4 in land condition, caused by direct or indirect humaninduced processes including anthropogenic. Authors can now opt to preprint their manuscript during the submission process and showcase their work to the global research. Land degradation is often linked to sustainability in terms of keeping its productivity. Land degradation generally signifies the temporary or permanent decline in the.
It is defined as any change or disturbance to the environment perceived to be deleterious or undesirable. Any change that decreases productivity of the land land clearing poor land management practices 2 3. Home to a third of the human population in 2000, drylands occupy nearly half of earths land area. What is desertification and how is it impacting climate. You use degradation to refer to a situation, condition, or experience which you consider. The three degradation terms, environmental degradation, land degradation. Components and processes of land degradation and recovery. Land degradation indicators and management options in the. This complexity needs to be appreciated by the field assessor, before any attempt is made either to define land degradation or to measure it.
Usually remediation takes time, as scientists want to encourage the land and ecosystem to rebuild and become stable again rather than enacting a quick fix. Large time spans, in the order of centuries, have been associated with rise and fall of civilisations and empires. Degraded land is land that has lost some degree of its natural productivity due to humancaused processes. The last three compounds are often referred to as btx aromatics. It is a global phenomenon, with often immediate detrimental impacts at the local level. The united nations international strategy for disaster reduction defines environmental degradation as the reduction of the capacity of the environment to meet social and ecological objectives, and needs. 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 degradation is a process in which the value of the physical environment is affected by a combination of humaninduced processes acting upon the land. 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 may also be considered a combination of the mechanical forces of machinery for plant growth and water breaking down soil aggregates and transporting down the slope eventually reaching rivers and reservoirs. It is viewed as any change or disturbance to the land perceived to be deleterious or undesirable. Degradation definition of degradation by merriamwebster. Land degradation is often caused by human activities, and.
Land degradation is characterised by the reduction and loss of the biological and economic productive capacity of land. Issues and goals 247 environmental degradation and disaster management social science notes is the nonliving, known as abiotic which includes such items as sunlight, soil, air, water, land, climate etc. It is estimated that nearly 2 billion ha of soil resources in the world have been degraded, namely approximately 22% of the total cropland, pasture, forest, and woodland. Land degradation is often caused by human activities, and exacerbated by natural processes such as climate change. Land degradation can be a gradual process, but more often it occurs in cycles, of different time spans, alternating with land improvement or recovery. Land degradation has accelerated during the 20th century due to increasing and combined pressures of agricultural and livestock production overcultivation, overgrazing, forest conversion, urbanization, deforestation, and extreme weather events such as droughts and coastal surges which salinate land. They are usually longterm and represent global visions such as protect public health and safety. South africa undertook a national land degradation neutrality ldn target setting process during 201718 in response to the united nations convention to combatting desertifications call for signatory countries to voluntarily commit to ldn as also requested under sustainability development goal 15. Degradation definition and meaning collins english dictionary. Degradation definition of degradation by medical dictionary. Land degradation is the temporary or permanent lowering of the productive capacity of land unep, 1992b. This process can be entirely natural in origin, or it can be accelerated or caused by human activities. Other lands may have reached a degraded state relative to. Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as air, water and soil.
Degradation definition of degradation by the free dictionary. Define land degradation concept in which the value of the biophysical environment is affected by one or more combination of humaninduced processes acting upon the land define compaction. It occurs whenever the natural balances in the landscape are changed by human activity through misuse or overuse of soil. Land farming has been successfully used for the bioremediation of soils polluted with chloroethane benzene, toluene and xylene. Causes and impacts of land degradation and desertification.
Deterioration in the quality of land, its topsoil, vegetation, andor water resources, caused usually by excessive or inappropriate. Desertification is the persistent degradation of dryland ecosystems by variations in climate and human activities. Soil degradation has been defined as a process that leads to decline in the fertility or future productive capacity of soil as a result of human activity united nations environment programme, 1993. 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. This study suggests management options for each land degradation type. Global desertification dimensions and costs why land degradation in india has increased and how to deal with it. Goals are general guidelines that explain what you want to achieve in your community. It thus covers the various forms of soil degradation, adverse human impacts on water. The change in the characteristic and quality of soil which adversely affect its fertility is called as degradation. Erosion of the quality of natural environment caused, directly or indirectly, by human activities. The term land degradation involves both soil and vegetation degradation. Simply defined, eia is a systematic process to identify, predict and evaluate the environmental effects of proposed actions and projects.
Introduction salinization, or development of salt affected soils, is one ofthe processes of soil degradation leading to land desertification. So, land degradation is far from being a simple process, with clear outcomes. Land degradation is a process in which the value of the biophysical environment is affected by one or more combination of humaninduced processes acting upon the land. Experiences from the south african land degradation. In this chapter we survey research on different types of degradation processes. Over time, a device is subject to degradation, generally described as an increasing stochastic process. Soil degradation refers to negative changes in the physical. In remediation, people identify the causes of the land degradation and explore methods for reversing it. Soils decline in quality, but productivity can be maintained by applying artificial nutrients and by appropriate soil management.
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. These, in turn diminish the availability of nutrients and water to the plants and ultimately the productivity of the land. 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. Apr 04, 2020 the process of restoring land that has become degraded is known as remediation. This degradation includes the temporary or permanent decline in quality of soil, vegetation, water resources or wildlife, for example.
Land degradation is the major consequences of direct interference of human activities in the natural phenomenon. Degradation definition and meaning collins english. Land degradation is a humaninduced or natural process which negatively affects the land to function effectively within an ecosystem. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. Land degradation generally signifies the temporary or permanent decline in the productive capacity of the land unfao. Poor land management practices include grazing of stock that has hard hooves, growing of crops that require large amounts of fertilisers and pesticides especially superphosphate and nitrogen.
However, there is no single internationallyapproved definition of degraded land. It occurs whenever the natural balances in the landscape are changed by human activity through misuse or. Land reclamation, the process of improving lands to make them suitable for a more intensive use. Land degradation is a process in which the value of the physical environment is affected by a. The land degradation surrounding the city of beijing china has reached an extreme level of pollution, and water is no longer safe to drink. Oecd glossary of statistical terms land degradation. When the environment becomes less valuable or damaged, environmental degradation is said to occur. Deterioration in the quality of land, its topsoil, vegetation, andor water resources, caused usually by excessive or inappropriate exploitation. The 2030 agenda for sustainable development declares that we are determined to protect the planet from degradation, including through sustainable consumption and production, sustainably managing its natural resources and taking urgent action on climate change, so that it can support the needs of the present and future generations. Reclamation efforts may be concerned with the improvement of rainfalldeficient areas by irrigation, the removal of detrimental constituents from salty or alkali lands, the diking and draining of tidal. The process of restoring land that has become degraded is known as remediation. There are serious problems of land degradation in some arid zones.
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