Land restoration is important for water and food security
Manindra Mohan
Scientist, Uttarakhand Council for Biotechnology, Pantnagar
Wednesday, 05 JUNE 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Anthropogenic activities, unplanned development work and large scale exploitation of natural resources are rapidly damaging the environment. Consequently, the Earth’s temperature is rising, biodiversity is being lost and the quality of water, air and soil is deteriorating. World Environment Day is celebrated globally every year on June 5 under a special theme. This year the theme focuses on land restoration, stopping desertification and building drought resilience. The purpose is to make the society aware of environmental protection and to get cooperation in improving the environment.
The Earth is the most bio-diverse habitat and almost 60 per cent of all species live in the soil and 95 per cent of the food we eat is produced from it, making the land planet’s most bio-diverse rich habitat. When viewed on a global scale, the livelihood of about 2 billion people depends on agriculture. Healthy soil acts as a carbon sink, locking in greenhouse gases that would otherwise enter the atmosphere, playing a vital role in climate mitigation.
As per facts, more than 2 billion hectares of land in the world are degraded, affecting more than 3.2 billion people or 40 per cent of the world population. By 2030, land degradation and desertification could force 135 million people to migrate, creating social and economic inequalities. The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2021-2030 as the Decade of Ecosystem Restoration whose main objective is related to this year’s theme also.
According to the United Nations Convention, 40 per cent of the Earth’s land has been degraded which is directly affecting half of the world’s population. The number and duration of droughts have increased by 29 per cent since 2000. According to the data, land-based water storage has fallen at a rate of one centimetre in the last two decades which includes soil moisture and snow. Due to this, serious effects have been seen on water security and food production. Thus, to keep the soil healthy and more productive, it is most important to accelerate restoration of land along with groundwater recharge, sustainable agriculture and restoration of freshwater ecosystems.
