Unlocking The Sustainable Potential Of Land Resources

Land resources are one of nature’s most precious gifts. They feed us and help our societies and economies to thrive. Some 2.5 billion agricultural smallholders worldwide manage around 500 million small farms, providing more than 80 per cent of food consumed in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. These resources are being degraded at an alarming pace. An estimated 33 per cent of soil is moderately to highly-degraded due to erosion, nutrient depletion, acidi?cation, salinization, compaction and chemical pollution. Each year we lose 24 billion tonnes of fertile soil and 15 billion trees, costing the economy around $40 billion. This report focuses on land potential evaluation systems as a critical foundation for land use planning and management. More specifically, land potential evaluation systems are needed to sustain and increase the provision of ecosystem services in the context of climate change, persistent land degradation and increasing global population and per-capita consumption levels.

This report examines how to better evaluate and use the potential of land on the way to achieving land degradation neutrality.

The objectives of the workshop, for which initiative was jointly taken by FAO and the Government of the Netherlands were to call for an integrated approach to the planning and management of land resources through re-organizing and, where necessary, strengthening of decision-making structures, including policies and planning and management structures

In a context of escalating food demand and pressure on natural resources, this study emphasizes the importance of land evaluation and land-use planning. Only with a rational use of resources can we enhance productivity while maintaining resilient ecosystems. The publication stresses the importance of collaborative processes to meet the interwoven challenges of population growth, competition for limited resources, land degradation, biodiversity loss and climate change.

This book stimulates awareness of the critical role of land resources in sustainable development, and the need to improve land management. It provides an authoritative review of the resources of soils, water, climate, forests and pastures on which agriculture and rural land use depend, and assesses prospects for feeding future populations. Addressing the environmental issues of erosion, loss of soil fertility, deforestation and desertification, it is critical of present methods of assessing land degradation and placing an economic value on land. It emphasises the links between land resources and wider aspects of development, including population and poverty. It shows that land available for food production is less than previously estimated, and that unless action is taken the developing world will face recurrent problems of food security and conflict. The book should be read by all involved in rural development, including natural scientists, economists, geographers, sociologists and planners, together with students of development studies. It provides a summary and perspective of the field of land resources, gives some forcefully-expressed criticisms of current methods, and suggests improvements needed to conserve resources for future generations.

This publication provides an overview of the world's land resources characteristics, their status and limitations at a global, regional and national level. The statistics given include data on soil, climate and terrain characteristics and constraints, human-induced land degradation status and desertification risk. A comparative analysis of national land resource potential is included. A link is made between the land resource limitations and the population affected.

The depletion of land resources is one of the greatest challenges for mankind in this millennium. Shrinking land resources, weather aberrations, deterioration of land quality, and the globalization and liberalization of market economies have become intertwined to influence the sustainable management of land resources and land use plans. This important volume, Sustainable Management of Land Resources: An Indian Perspective, addresses these challenges. This comprehensive volume, covering important research, much of it gathered with the use of new technology, tools, and applications, is organized into four sections: (add bullets) land resource inventory and characterization geospatial technologies in land resource mapping and management soil nutrient status and management land use planning and livelihood security The volume looks at how scientists translate their knowledge and experience in sustainable land resources and management into implementable policy decisions, with a particular focus on India. Since India is an agrarian economy, the land resources assume a very critical role affecting the livelihood of a vast majority of populace in the country. The information gathered—and the methods by which it is gathered—is applicable globally. This comprehensive publication will be highly useful for the researchers, academicians, extension workers, policymakers, planners, officials of land resources survey, planning and management institutions/agencies/departments, and others.

Eco-Restoration of Mine Land An authoritative introduction to the ecosystem-based approach for restoring land after coal and mineral mining operations. Mining activities, in particular where metal ores have been mined, often leave behind vast areas of dumps and disused mine lands that have become environmental hazards. Soil degradation and poisoning are major environmental concerns in these areas, requiring comprehensive and long-term interventions in order to restore those lands to an ecologically productive state. Eco-Restoration of Mine Land provides a comprehensive overview of ecosystem-based solutions for remediating polluted soil and re-establishing vegetation in disused mine lands, synthesizing cutting-edge research, experiential knowledge, and longstanding best practices to offer a holistic introduction to the science of mine land restoration. Eco-Restoration of Mine Land readers will also find: A basic introduction to soil contamination, risk assessment, and phytoremediation of mine land Discussion of carbon sequestration potential of restored mine soils and other environmental benefits of remediated mine land The use of biological soil quality indicators to assess progress in ecosystem restoration Eco-Restoration of Mine Land is a valuable guide for researchers and advanced students in the environmental and ecological sciences, as well as professionals working in environmental remediation, providing a much-needed survey of this increasingly critical subject.