Read
the following excerpt from an interview. Different answers given by the expert have
been labeled as A, B, C etc. followed by the questions that were asked.(labeled
as 1,2 3 etc.) Match the questions with the answers.
A] Desertification
is a huge global environmental problem — like climate change. Desertification
adds to, and worsens the impact of climate change. Currently, some two billion
people are affected by desertification and the degradation of land; 41 per cent
of the landmass worldwide is prone to desertification. The major deserts in the
world are expanding at an alarming rate. Deserts in China, Mongolia and Africa
are all invading their neighboring regions. In your own country, the deserts in
western India are expanding. Hundreds of thousands of hectares in the arid and semi-arid
regions and drylands around the world are becoming sand dunes every year. This
means fewer and fewer hectares are available for agriculture, livestock rearing
and allied activities that offer livelihood sources to hundreds of millions of
world population, especially the poor. Desertification cuts on the availability
of food and water even as the global population is increasing. It also causes
disasters such as sandstorms which wipe out large swathes of habitable lands.
Aquifers vanish and biodiversity is greatly reduced.
If we do not rehabilitate the degraded lands and stop the march
of the deserts, there will be huge global shortages of food, water and fuels
and unprecedented mass migrations.
B] Land
degradation and desertification is a long process. They involve a host of
issues such as deforestation, over-grazing, over-cultivation, logging, pressure
of population, industrialisation and poor land-use practices. A naturally dry
climate, long spells of droughts and heavy winds add to the anthropogenic
causes.
C] The
Rio+20 role will be very crucial as world leaders can take a bold decision of
setting a sustainable development goal for “zero net land degradation.” We are
pushing for an agreement on zero net land degradation by 2030. Setting up of an
Intergovernmental Panel on Land and Soil will be very helpful in speeding up
efforts to check desertification. Desertification is nearly as critical as
climate change and international initiative on climate change and biodiversity
loss should have linkages and synergies with steps against desertification.
Unfortunately, people are not as aware of the impact of desertification as they
are of climate change. The Rio+20 meeting can bring in desertification on the
sustainable development agenda. It can also agree to give more legal teeth to
the UNCCD.
D] Of
course, the battle against desertification calls for long-term commitment and
investment. There is no alternative. Regional, sub-regional and country-level
plans are necessary for Africa and Asia to reclaim deserts and restore them to
fertile farmlands. Developing countries need to integrate their poverty
eradication programmes with strategies to fight desertification. They could
also earmark a certain share of their annual budgets for the efforts. The soil and
land preservation efforts should be prioritised and mainstreamed. The funds for
climate change mitigation and adaptation could be dovetailed to the
anti-desertification programme. In Africa, several countries have come together
to form a 12,000 sq.km “great green wall” extending from Senegal to Djibouti
with the participation of local communities. People's participation is crucial
in reclaiming lands. China's “great green wall” project is on a massive scale
and is now starting to show results.
E] More than
two billion hectares of degraded land in various parts of the world can be
rehabilitated. The techniques include agro-forestry and farmer-managed natural
regeneration. Small community initiatives like closure of degraded lands for
grazing, curtailing farming, growing fast-growing plants, raising tall trees
that serve as a barrier against winds and sandstorms are very effective.
National governments could consider building large green belts, prioritise
forestry programmes and launch projects of fixing and stabilising sands. In
China, where deserts comprise 27 per cent of the landmass, lots of money has
been invested in anti-desertification programmes. The country has realised that
desertification — and its spin-off, the sandstorm — has to be tackled to
sustain its economic development.
Match the following questions with their corresponding answer.
1] Steps to check desertification and rehabilitating degraded lands are
expensive and time-consuming. How can poor countries rise to the challenge?
2] How do you assess the threat of
desertification?
3] What are some of the ways to
rehabilitate degraded lands?
4] What will be the role of the upcoming
Rio+20 conference in the fight against desertification?
5] What causes desertification?
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