Land degradation in south Asia: Its severity, causes and effects upon the people
World Soil Resources Reports
FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
Rome, 1994
The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, of the United Nations Development Programme or of the United Nations Environment Programme concerning the legal statue of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
M-51
ISBN 92-5-103595-4
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(c) FAO, UNDP and UNEP 1994
Acknowledgements
Summary
Chapter 1 - Introduction
Origin, objectives and constraints
Background to the South Asia region
Arrangement of the report
Chapter 2 - Types of land degradation
Definitions
Types of land degradation assessed
Other types of degradation included
Types of degradation excluded from the study
Problems of the natural environment
Reversible degradation and land reclamation
Global assessment of soil degradation (GLASOD)
Other sources of data
Variations in data and the need for definition of degrees of severity
Chapter 4 - Status of degradation. I. Erosion and fertility decline
Chapter 5 - Status of degradation. II. Other types of degradation and summary
Waterlogging
Salinization
Lowering of the water table
Other types of degradation
Watershed degradation and management
Summary: the severity and extent of land degradation
Discussion
Chapter 6 - Causes of land degradation
Natural degradation hazards
Direct causes of degradation
Underlying causes of degradation
Land, population, poverty and degradation: the causal nexus
Chapter 7 - Economic consequences of land degradation
Introduction: economic and social consequences
Economic valuation of natural resources and degradation
Land degradation in South Asia: the orders of magnitude of the economic costs
Macroeconomic impact of land degradation
Chapter 8 - Effects upon the people
Effects upon production
Consequences for the people
Land degradation and the poor
Chapter 9 - Institutions and programmes to combat degradation
National institutions
National institutions: discussion
Environmental legislation
International institutions in the region
Regional collaborative programmes
Chapter 10 - Conclusions and proposals
Conclusions from the study
Proposals: introduction
Proposals for strengthening efforts to combat land degradation
References
World soil resources reports