Fertility Concerns: UN Report Says Over One Lakh Sq Km Of Indian Land Earlier Under Tree Cover Is Now Badly Affected

The Indian report to United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) emphasises that productivity of nearly 100,000 square kilometres of tree cover has declined due to deforestation and over-exploitation, in the states of Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Karnataka.

On 17 June 2014, the world day to combat desertification, Environment Minister Prakash Javedekar had announced the country’s commitment to achieving land degradation neutrality by 2030, to the UNCCD.

The report outlined the multiple reasons for deforestation in different states. For example, the Aravalli Range in Rajasthan shows severe degradation in grasslands, cropland losses in Maharashtra and Saurashtra, Gujarat and tree cover loss in the Western Ghats of Karnataka.

The land productivity dynamics for land conversion was also noted. The report noted a declining trend on 781,383 square kilometres of tree-covered areas, 279,229 square kilometres of grasslands, 1,811,493 square kilometres of croplands, and 17,898 square kilometres of wetlands between the years 2000 and 2013.

Under the UNCCD, countries are striving to improve the condition of affected ecosystems, combat desertification and land degradation, promote sustainable land management, and contribute to land degradation neutrality. According to information given to Parliament in July 2018 by the Centre, 96.40 million hectares — 29.32 per cent of the geographical area of the country — was undergoing land degradation during 2011-13, as reported by The New Indian Express.