Abstract:
The global issue of land degradation poses a significant threat to sustainable development, with approximately 25 percentage of the world's land already degraded due to climatic variations and human-induced activities. Projections suggest that if current trends persist, 95 percentage of the Earth's land areas could be degraded by 2050 (Global Land Outlook, 2022). ―Land is a finite and limited resource‖ is universally acknowledged, the rise in population exacerbates the pressure on limited land resources. In India, nearly 30% of the land is degraded, with 26 out of 29 states reporting an increase in desertification over the past decade (State of India’s Environment Report, 2017). This study aims to fill the critical gap in the absence of a standardized methodology for assessing Land Degradation. Various approaches have been studied and out of land degradation neutrality (LDN) has been selected due to its comprehensive framework but its effective need to be checked. The scope of the research extends to proposing a method for LDN assessment, analysing current trends in land conversion, identifying driving factors, assessing impacts, and pinpointing hotspots within the study area. The constructed framework used in the assessment of land degradation in Dhar District can be considered effective in providing a structured, objective, and comparative analysis of land degradation indicators. The assessment of land degradation across tehsils in Dhar District highlights the need for context-specific interventions, continuous monitoring, stakeholder engagement, and policy support to achieve sustainable land management practices and mitigate environmental degradation effectively. By addressing the unique challenges faced by each tehsil and adopting a holistic approach to conservation, stakeholders can work addressing land degradation. By assigning scores to different indicators, the scoring method enables easier comparison of the state of land resources across different tehsils in Dhar District. This comparative analysis allows stakeholders to prioritize actions and target interventions where they are most needed. Overall; this research seeks to contribute to the global effort in combating land degradation and achieving sustainable land management.
