THE GIST of Editorial for UPSC Exams : 26 February 2020 (United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (mint))

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (mint)

Mains Paper 3: Environment
Prelims level: United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
Mains level: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment Disaster and disaster management

Context:

• These are clear signs of desertification which, as per the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), is degrading 12 million ha of productive land across the world every year. This is over 80 times the size of Delhi and is enough to grow 20 million tonnes of grain.
• Drylands affected by desertification not only lose their ability to support plant life, but also their ability to offer ecosystem services, such as management of water systems and storage of carbon use in global warming.

ISRO Report’s on Spread of Desertification:

• As per Desertification and Land Degradation of Selected Districts of India, an atlas published by the Indian Space Research Organisation’s Space Application Centre (SAC), some 96.40 million ha, or about 30 % of the country’s total area, is undergoing degradation.
• The extent of desertification and land degradation has increased by 1.16 million ha and 1.87 million ha respectively in just 8 years, between 2003-05 and 2011-13 when SAC conducted the surveys.
• Further, as per the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) land degradation costs $48.8 billion to the country’s exchequer annually.

Causes of Deforestation:

• The main reason being the changing climate, prolonged droughts and increasing incidences of floods, landslides and frost that reduces the amount of productive land.
• Factors like deforestation, wetland drainage, overgrazing, unsustainable land use practices and the expansion of agricultural, industrial and urban areas are the other significant causes for desertification. For example, overgrazing is responsible for 90 % of dryland degradation in Australia and 60 % in Africa. Moreover, deforestation has caused 40 % dryland degradation in South America and Europe and 30 % in Asia.
• Further, rampant mining and expanding urbanization has also contributed to desertification.
• Other reason being the vicious cycle of governance failure and absence of knowledge fuelling desertification.
• Moreover, in areas such as in Nagaland, shifting cultivation are to blame for desertification. Thus, the rapidly vanishing vegetation cover has intensified soil erosion.

Way forward:

• By educating people on sustainable practices, more land can be saved from becoming desert.
• There is also needs for research and advancements in technology to prevent the issue from becoming epidemic.
• The sustainable practices to prevent desertification must also be incorporated. E.g. zero budget natural farming.

  Online Coaching for UPSC PRE Exam

  General Studies Pre. Cum Mains Study Materials

Prelims Questions:

Q1. With reference to the Bhaskaracharya Institute of Space Applications and Geoinformatics (BISAG), consider the following statements:
1. The Union Cabinet has approved Elevation of Bhaskaracharya Institute of Space Applications and Geoinformatics (BISAG), Gujarat as Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG(N)) under Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MEITY), Government of India.
2. Its Governing body is chaired by the Cabinet Secretary.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: A
Mains Questions:
Q1. The desertification in India has become a menace as it is spreading like a cancer. In this light discuss the causes for desertification and methods to control the same.