Land Conservation Towards SDG 15.3 - Issues And Challenges In India: A Critical Evaluation
- IJLLR Journal
- Feb 27
- 2 min read
Angarika Borah, IFIM Law School
Dr. Amlanika Bora, School of Legal Studies and Governance, Vidyashilp University
ABSTRACT
Land degradation refers to a temporary or permanent deterioration in the productive capability of the land. Degradation affects the land and reduces economic worth, principal uses, and farming systems. Various factors contribute land degradation, including adverse weather conditions like drought, human activities such as deforestation, overgrazing by cows, and detrimental agricultural practices like monoculture and the use of chemical pesticides. Land degradation affects climate change by reducing the land's ability to absorb CO2, thereby contributing to global warming. Moreover, land degradation reduces both the quantity and quality of surface and groundwater resources. United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), 1994 addresses the intersection of land-related environmental and developmental concerns. To tackle the global issue of land degradation, the concept of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) was introduced in the Rio+20 Outcome Document, and later formalized as Target 15.3 within the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15 by the United Nations General Assembly. India is making determined efforts to fulfil its national promise towards LDN and the SDG Target 15.3. This commitment involves restoring 26 million hectares of land that has suffered from degradation by the year 2030. According to SAC (2021), 97.8 M ha (29.7%) of the area is currently degraded in the country. Therefore, the conservation of land is significant for India and a challenge as well to meet SDG target 15.3. The paper aims to identify the causes of land degradation in India, examining the initiatives taken by Indian Government to restore land degradation and key challenges that hinders India’s progress toward achieving land degradation neutrality.
Keywords: Land degradation, Sustainable development, Land restoration, Commitment, Challenges, India.
