Land Degradation Neutrality for Socio-economic Justice

Photo by Boudewijn Huysmans on Unsplash

Land covers only 30% of the earth’s surface but houses 85% of all species. It is the resource that sustains different ecosystems, lifeforms, and livelihoods. However, land is also required for competing economic interests like urbanization, mining, and construction. As a result, land degradation is increasing at a rapid rate.

Estimates by UNCCD report a global land degradation of 15% between 2001 to 2015. *Globally, 40% of the land is degraded. In [India](https://www.downtoearth.org.in/environment/in-4-years-india-lost-over-30-million-hectares-of-healthy-land-to-degradation-un-data-92519)*, till 2019, 30.51 million hectares of land, equalling 9.45%, was lost to degradation. This statistic also deduces that land degradation has ramifications both for the people and the planet.

Land is a crucial resource, particularly for rural communities who directly depend on it and its resources for sustenance. Reports point out that 80% of the extremely poor live in rural areas and 65% work in the agricultural sector. As an extension, land improvement can significantly contribute to poverty alleviation (UNCCD). *SDG 15* states to, “Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss”.

As per UNCCD, it is preventable by the nations committing to *Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN)*, which intends to achieve, ”a balance between three processes: degradation, rehabilitation/restoration, and sustainable land management”. While at the current rate of economic growth the world over, land use change and subsequent degradation are likely to occur more rapidly owing to the demands of a vast population.

India is a case in point. It is home to 18% of the world’s population who subsist on 2.4% of the world’s total land. This fact raises apprehension as to how the needs of different societies and ecosystems can be reconciled. The *National Action Plan of India* (NAP) lays the road map in that direction. It estimates the annual cost of land degradation to be 3177 billion or 2.5% of the country’s GDP. It is easier to begin with the obvious and act upon the available knowledge while supporting new research.

Efforts need to be directed on actively switching to nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based approaches that are lighter on the planet and help manage extracted resources mindfully. Agroforestry and improving organic farming can prove to be game-changers in preventing drought and desertification and ensuring livelihoods and food security in the country.

Data supports that improving land will snowball as progress in inclusive socio-economic and sustainable development. The National Forest Policy of 1988 (NFP) and National Environment Policy of 2006 (NEP) are guiding texts that intend to mainstream conversations and concerns on environmental degradation.

However, to take action, it is imperative to free the statutes from law books through political will, strengthening the enforcement and governance mechanism, and building synergy among concerned international, national, and local institutions. Roping in local action groups, community members and other stakeholders is also crucial for measurable results and benefit sharing to achieve the target of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) by 2030.