Land Degradation and Desertification: UNCCD, LDN, and India's Commitments
May 29, 20267 min read
India loses approximately ₹2.5 lakh crore annually to land degradation — in soil erosion, reduced agricultural productivity, loss of ecosystem services, and displacement of farming communities. Of India's 328.7 million hectares total land area, about 96.4 million hectares (29%) is degraded. The ISRO-NRSC (2016) report was the first authoritative national assessment. Land degradation is a convergence point for GS 1 (geography), GS 3 (agriculture, environment), and current affairs (COP commitments, Green India Mission).
Trap: Confusing desertification with drought. Desertification is a permanent or semi-permanent land degradation process — loss of biological productivity in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas due to human activities AND climate. Drought is temporary water shortage.
Most confused: Which areas are defined as 'drylands' for UNCCD purposes? Arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas (not hyperarid deserts). Hyperarid deserts are excluded from UNCCD scope.
Key anchor: UNCCD (1994) is one of the three Rio Conventions (along with UNFCCC and CBD). India is a Party. Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) is its current operational framework — achieve no net loss of land productivity by 2030.
Current affairs hook: India pledged at COP 26 (Glasgow, 2021) and UNCCD COP 15 (Abidjan, 2022) to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 and achieve LDN. The Bonn Challenge (20 million hectares by 2020) target was partially met.
Mains hinge: Link land degradation to food security (reduced agricultural output), climate change (land as carbon sink/source), and migration (degraded land → rural distress → migration).
Core Concept
Types of Land Degradation:
Water erosion: Most extensive type in India. Raindrops dislodge soil; surface runoff carries it. Affects peninsular plateau, Himalayan foothills, Northeast.
Wind erosion: Dominant in arid zones (Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana). Sand movement, sand dunes, loess deposits.
Waterlogging: Excessive irrigation raises water table; root zone becomes anaerobic. Affects Punjab, Haryana, UP (over-irrigation).
Soil salinity/alkalinity (salt-affected lands): Irrigation + poor drainage → salt accumulation in root zone. ~6.7 million hectares in India.
National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, and Biosphere Reserves: Clear the Confusion
UPSC tests the three-tier PA system every year. National Parks vs Wildlife Sanctuaries vs Biosphere Reserves — the differences in legal basis, human activity allowed, and who notifies them. This note also covers Tiger Reserves, Eco-sensitive Zones, Community Reserves, and Conservation Reserves under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
Urban and industrial expansion: Conversion of agricultural land to built-up use.
Deforestation and vegetation loss: Loss of binding root networks increases erosion risk.
Desertification (UNCCD definition): Land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors including climatic variations and human activities.
Does NOT include hyperarid areas (already classified as desert)
Is about loss of biological productivity, not just sand expansion
Hot deserts (Rajasthan), cold deserts (Ladakh), coastal degradation — all relevant
Drought: Temporary reduction in water availability. UNCCD recognises three types:
UNCCD (United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification):
Adopted: 1994 (Paris), entered into force 1996
One of three Rio Conventions (UNFCCC, CBD, UNCCD)
Only Rio Convention directly addressing land issues
Focus: Arid, semi-arid, dry sub-humid lands
Secretariat: Bonn, Germany
Parties: 197
India: Party; one of most severely affected developing countries
Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN):
Adopted at UNCCD COP 12 (Ankara, 2015)
Target: By 2030, no net loss in land-based natural capital; achieve net positive land balance
Assessed by three indicators: Land cover change, Land productivity trends, Carbon stocks
India's LDN target: 26 million hectares restoration by 2030
Key Facts
India degraded land: ~96.4 million hectares (29% of total)
most affected states: Rajasthan (largest degraded area), Jharkhand, Gujarat, Maharashtra
water erosion: Most extensive degradation type in India
salt-affected lands: ~6.7 million hectares
UNCCD COP 15 (2022): Abidjan, Ivory Coast; theme "Land, Life, Legacy: From scarcity to prosperity"
India's commitment: 26 million hectares restoration by 2030; LDN by 2030
Great Green Wall: Africa-led pan-African initiative to restore a mosaic of ecosystems across the Sahel (not a single wall of trees). India is observer.
Bonn Challenge: 2011 voluntary initiative; 150 million hectares restoration globally by 2020, 350 million by 2030.
NRSC report (2016): ISRO's National Remote Sensing Centre — authoritative assessment of India's degraded land
Previous Year Questions
Year
Stage
What was tested
2024
Prelims
UNCCD focuses on which type of lands? Arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid (not hyperarid)
2023
Prelims
Land Degradation Neutrality means? No net loss in land-based natural capital by 2030
2022
Prelims
Which of the three Rio Conventions addresses land issues directly? UNCCD
Great Green Wall Initiative is associated with which continent? Africa (Sahel region)
2019
Prelims
Most common type of land degradation in India is? Water erosion
Statement Elimination Guide
Correct: "Desertification refers to land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas due to human activities and climatic variations. Hyperarid areas (true deserts) are excluded from the UNCCD definition."
False: "Desertification is the same as drought."
Trap: "The Great Green Wall is a literal wall of trees being planted across the Sahara." (False. It is a mosaic restoration initiative across the Sahel — degraded lands, restored grasslands, agroforestry — not a single continuous forest wall.)
Correct: "UNCCD is one of the three Rio Conventions adopted in 1992, along with UNFCCC and CBD. It entered into force in 1996."
False: "UNCCD was adopted at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992."
Trap: "UNCCD was adopted in 1992 along with UNFCCC and CBD." (False. UNFCCC and CBD were adopted in 1992 at Rio. UNCCD was adopted in 1994 in Paris, influenced by the Rio process but signed separately.)
Current Affairs Hook
At UNCCD COP 15 (Abidjan, 2022), world leaders committed to the "Abidjan Legacy Programme" — a four-year action plan on deforestation, drought resilience, and land restoration. India reaffirmed its 26 million hectare restoration pledge. The UNCCD's Global Drought Observatory was launched to provide real-time monitoring data.
The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) 2018 Land Degradation Assessment found that 75% of Earth's ice-free land surface has been significantly degraded. The economic cost of global land degradation is estimated at $10.6 trillion annually — about 10% of global GDP.
Common Mistakes
"Desertification only happens near existing deserts": Desertification can happen in any dryland area — not just near the Thar or Sahara.
"UNCCD focuses on hyperarid regions": UNCCD explicitly excludes hyperarid areas. Its focus is arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid zones.
"LDN means reducing total degraded land to zero": LDN means no net loss — restoration must offset new degradation, not eliminate all existing degradation.
"Water erosion affects only hilly terrain": Water erosion is the dominant type in the Deccan plateau, the Gangetic plains (gully erosion in UP/MP), and the Himalayan foothills — not just steep slopes.
"Salt-affected land is only a problem in coastal areas": Most salt-affected lands in India are inland — Punjab, Haryana, UP — caused by irrigation waterlogging, not coastal inundation.
Revision Snapshot
India: 96.4 million hectares degraded (29% of total); water erosion most extensive. Types: water erosion, wind erosion, waterlogging, salinity/alkalinity, mining, urbanisation. UNCCD (1994, entered force 1996): one of three Rio Conventions; targets arid, semi-arid, dry sub-humid areas; excludes hyperarid. Desertification = land degradation in drylands due to human + climate factors (NOT drought). LDN: no net loss of land-based natural capital by 2030 (measured by land cover, productivity, carbon). India committed to 26 million hectares restoration by 2030. Bonn Challenge: 150m ha by 2020, 350m by 2030. Great Green Wall: Africa's Sahel restoration mosaic initiative (not a literal tree wall). UNCCD COP 15: Abidjan, 2022.