Context: Deserts and other open ecosystems are often viewed as barren or degraded lands. Land degradation is now synonymously used with desertification.
However, a functioning desert with its intricate food webs, seasonal rhythms and cultural continuities also holds significance and is far more alive than a monoculture plantation.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts about Wastelands; Significance of Wastelands.
Desert and other Open Ecosystems
- Deserts and other open ecosystems such as grasslands, savannas, scrublands, and open woodlands are often viewed as degraded lands or broken ecosystems which need to be fixed.
- On official maps, millions of hectares of these ecosystems are classified as wastelands- a term inherited from colonial land-use categories.
- In policy terms, a wasteland is seen as land waiting to be corrected usually by (i) planting trees, (ii) converting it into agriculture, (iii) paving it over for industrial use. This perception has led to large-scale efforts to “green” deserts through afforestation, irrigation schemes, and even climate engineering.
- However, this narrow view ignores the deep ecological, historical and cultural significance of deserts and other open landscapes.
Significance of Desert Ecosystems:
Deserts occupy nearly one-third of the Earth’s terrestrial surface, and are home to uniquely adapted plants, animals, and human cultures.
- India's deserts, grasslands and savannas are home to rare and endemic species like the Great Indian Bustard, caracal, and Indian wolf which are not found elsewhere.
- These ecosystems store carbon deep in the soil.
- Millions of pastoral groups such as the Dhangar, Rabari, Kuruba etc depend on these ecosystems for grazing.
- These landscapes support rich indigenous knowledge systems related to animal husbandry, grazing cycles, and weather patterns.
- Early civilizations such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley emerged in desert climates. The harsh desert conditions prompted humans to develop complex societies and technologies that could invent ingenious ways of irrigation to survive in otherwise inhospitable conditions.
Way Forward
We need policies that recognise ecosystem diversity, reward soil carbon storage, and support pastoralist land use.
- Deserts, grasslands, and savannas should be recognised as distinct valuable ecosystems- not wastelands.
- Shift from the term “desertification” to “land degradation” to avoid unjust vilification of deserts.
- Reversing degradation in drylands requires careful restoration that respects native vegetation, focuses on soil and moisture conservation, and draws from indigenous knowledge of land management.
- Recognize pastoral communities as biodiversity stewards and integrate their traditional knowledge into restoration policies.
- Low-tech solutions like water harvesting, rotational grazing, and protecting natural regrowth in place of greenwashing projects that aim to plant millions of trees to “green” the desert.