A Nationalised Nightmare
One of the main reasons given for nationalising the coalmines of India was to protect workers from accidents. What followed was large-scale …
India lost 31% of grasslands in a decade
While area under grazing and common lands saw a decline between 2005 and 2015, croplands increased, according to a report India presented to UNCCD
Deserts not deserted, but full of floral, faunal activity
These unforgiving lands may appear lifeless only to the unacquainted, but they are a unique and living ecosystem
Desertification in India: Slash-and-burn farming destroys Nagaland
Experts blame shifting cultivation for land degradation as about 20,000 hectares of forest is felled every year in the state for it
Desertification in India: Where are Himalayan springs?
Rapidly disappearing springs will eventually impact rivers and cause desertification in the plains
UNCCD COP14: Droughts most disastrous for agriculture
They cost agriculture $29 billion in a decade, according to a white paper released at the conference
Snow leopards, cultural codes can help prevent land degradation in Himalayas: Experts
The animal’s conservation will mean saving herbivores and the land they feed on, said panelists at an event at COP14
Make choices that will help end soil erosion, reduce effects of drought or dust storms
Every year, we make New Year resolutions about change. Why not include as one of those resolutions, a change of habit leading that will lead to a …
India: Making of a desert over the years
Over 25 per cent of India’s land area is undergoing desertification. Of the 30 states, 26 recorded an increase in the area under …
Desertification is one of the biggest challenges for Indian agriculture
Loss of soil cover, mainly due to rainfall and surface runoff, is one of the biggest reasons for desertification. It is responsible for 10.98% of …
Curbing desertification as critical as mitigating climate change impact
Currently, some two billion people are affected by desertification and land degradation; 41 per cent of the landmass worldwide is prone to …
UNCCD COP14: Reclaiming degraded land can help achieve SDGs
This restoration can potentially reduce poverty and inequality, the two significant goals set by the United Nations
New Delhi Declaration dilutes role of international funding bodies, tenurial issues
Overall the Declaration has downplayed the role of global financial institutions, tenurial rights of people, and delinks UNCCD from other Rio …
UNCCD CoP 14: Report on Soil Organic Carbon released
Soil Organic Carbon, which is the plant and animal tissues at various states of decomposition in the soil, is a yardstick for sustainable land …
One of the biggest threats to the environment - desertification, explained
At an ongoing global workshop on desertification, the Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan said desertification threatens 30% of India’s …
More or less equal
God made all humans equal, but some are more equal than others when it comes to consuming the world's resources
Research can play a crucial role in combating desertification: Experts
Synergy between scientists, government and farming communities can help reclaim degraded lands
Urbanisation to cause huge loss of prime farmland: UNCCD
Between 1.6 and 3.3 million hectares of such land could be lost by 2030, estimates the United Nations Convention to combat Desertification report
Lexical conundrum: Desertification does not allude to deserts
Today, desertification just means a reduction in the productivity of the land that is not reversible
Farmers in this Nepal district struggle to cope with crop raiding by wild animals
Almost all farmers in Aiddhungra, Budechaur and Bagargot villages have abandoned maize and millet farming due to increasing incursions by wild animals
A 2°C rise in temperature would make 25% of the world drier, affecting 1.5 bn people
In India, desertification is a fundamental threat to agriculture; out of India's total geographical area of 328.72 million hectares (MHA), 96.4 …
Losing land to desertification
Drought and desertification affect about 1.9 billion hectares of land and 1.5 billion people globally
Arid politics
Each year the world loses $42.3 billion because of desertification. But when its leaders meet to discuss the fast-spreading problem, all they can …
Land the size of South America will be degraded if current trends continue: UN Report
We cannot afford to continue taking land, our most valuable asset, for granted, says UNCCD chief
Land, water resources are at breaking point: Report
Pressure on land and water systems compromising agricultural productivity, food security