END DESERTIFICATION AND RESTORE DEGRADED LAND

 BY: Deeksha Sahoo

According to the ICCROM, END DESERTIFICATION AND RESTORE DEGRADED LAND can help with the following:

• Protecting biodiversity

• Improving human health

• Increasing food and water security

• Delivering goods, services, and economic prosperity

• Supporting climate change mitigation. 

PROTECTING BIODIVERSITY:-

Biodiversity is all the different kinds of life you'll find in one area—the variety of animals, plants, fungi, and even microorganisms like bacteria that make up our natural world

Support local and regional projects aimed at tackling biodiversity loss. Buying fewer products and making sure the products you do buy minimise the impact on biodiversity. Investing in ways that promote biodiversity. Reducing waste of consumer goods: food, clothes, electrical appliances, etc.

IMPROVING HUMAN HEALTH :-

Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity

Good health is an essential requisite for sustainable human development. Despite encouraging progress made to date, however, in many parts of the world, poor nutrition and disease-causing pathogens continue to be significant barriers to achieving good health, particularly for children. Regular exercise, balanced nutrition, and adequate rest all contribute to good health. People receive medical treatment to maintain the balance, when necessary. Physical well-being involves pursuing a healthful lifestyle to decrease the risk of disease.

INCREASING FOOD AND WATER SECURITY:-

Improving water security is a cross-sectoral challenge and requires satisfying drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene requirements etc. They are needed to improve crop yields; implement efficient irrigation strategies; reuse of drainage water and use of water resources of marginal quality; produce smarter ways to use fertilizer and water; improve crop protection; reduce post-harvest losses; and create more sustainable livestock and marine production etc. 

The National Food Security Act,2013 (NFSA 2013) converts into legal entitlements for existing food security programs of the Government of India. It also includes the Midday Meal Scheme, Integrated Child Development Services scheme, and the Public Distribution System. The main point of food security is all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.

DELIVERING GOOD, SERVICES AND ECONOMIC PROSPERITY:-

The role an economy, is the production and consumption of goods and services are used to fulfill the needs of those living and operating within it. Market-based economies tend to allow goods to flow freely through the market, according to supply and demand.

Goods and services affect the economy the value of these goods and services increases, resulting in larger corporate profits. Economic growth is the increase in the production of goods and services from one period to the next.

SUPPORTING CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION:-

Mitigating climate change means reducing the flow of heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This involves cutting greenhouse gases from main sources such as power plants, factories, cars, and farms. Forests, oceans, and soil also absorb and store these gases, and are an important part of the solution.

Mitigation strategies involves reducing the flow of heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, either by reducing sources of these gases (for example, the burning of fossil fuels for electricity, heat, or transport) or enhancing the “sinks” that accumulate and store these gases. 

Actions for a healthy planet:-

1. Save energy at home. Much of our electricity and heat are powered by coal, oil and gas.

2. Change your home's source of energy. 

3. Walk, bike or take public transport. 

4. Switch to an electric vehicle.

5. Consider your travel.