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From 2015-2019, 30.51 million hectares of India’s total reported land was degraded, according to United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) data. This means that 9.45 per cent of the country's landmass was degraded as of 2019. This was 4.42 per cent in 2015.
India’s total degraded land is equivalent to the size of 43 million football pitches, according to UNCCD.
Here, 2019 serves as the reporting year for recording data and 2015-2019 as a baseline period.
The UNCCD data dashboard released October 25, 2023 also reflected that 251.71 million Indians constituting 18.39 per cent of the country’s population were exposed to land degradation during the same period.
Moreover, it added, 854.4 million of the country’s people were exposed to drought from 2015-2018 (reporting cycle year).
The total land area under drought is calculated as the sum of the reported area under all drought intensity classes (mild, moderate, severe and extreme).
From 2015-2019, the world lost at least 100 million hectares of healthy and productive land each year, according to the data.
The data dashboard also displays the total number of reported voluntary targets that contribute to land degradation neutrality and / or strategic objectives for selected countries.
A report that was submitted by the Government of India to UNCCD is attached for viewing within the dashboard. In one of its sections under the header ‘Voluntary Land Degradation Neutrality Targets’, a comment reads: “Voluntary targets are under consideration.”
To prepare this dashboard, data was compiled in global and aggregate form “as received” from 126 Parties in their 2022 UNCCD national reports.
So, it only presents a partial estimate of progress at the global and regional level in regards to land degradation neutrality. Not all Parties have reported the status and trends for every indicator, the UN body noted.
"As we assess the challenges of land degradation in India, it is evident that concerted action is essential to safeguard our natural resources. Land degradation affects not only our environment but also the livelihoods and well-being of millions. We remain committed to working hand in hand with India to accelerate progress towards Land Degradation Neutrality targets and restore one billion hectares of healthy land by 2030," Barron Joseph Orr, lead scientist, UNCCD told Down To Earth.