{"id":70419,"date":"2026-03-28T19:45:21","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T14:15:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=70419"},"modified":"2026-03-28T19:47:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T14:17:31","slug":"saudi-land-restoration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/28-03-2026\/saudi-land-restoration","title":{"rendered":"Saudi Arabia\u2019s Land Restoration Model"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification<\/strong> reported that Saudi Arabia has restored nearly <strong>one million hectares<\/strong> of degraded land and is being seen as a model for large-scale land reclamation in water-scarce and desertified regions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Extent of Global Land Degradation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Land degradation refers to the<strong> decline in land productivity<\/strong> due to factors such as <strong>soil erosion, salinisation, deforestation<\/strong>, and unsustainable land use.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Approximately <strong>40%<\/strong> of the global land surface is degraded, with the majority located in dryland regions and affecting <strong>nearly three billion people<\/strong> globally by <strong>undermining food security, water availability, and livelihoods.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>According to the Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas 2021, <\/strong>approximately <strong>97.85 million<\/strong> hectares, roughly <strong>29.77%<\/strong> of <strong>India\u2019s<\/strong> total geographical area, underwent land degradation during 2018-19.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Saudi Arabia model for land restoration<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Cloud Seeding Initiatives: <\/strong>Artificial enhancement of rainfall has been used to improve water availability in arid regions. It has supported vegetation growth and soil moisture restoration.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Early Warning Systems: <\/strong>Advanced forecasting systems for sand and dust storms have reduced environmental and economic damage. These systems enhance disaster preparedness and climate resilience.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Expansion of Protected Areas: <\/strong>Protected areas have been expanded to conserve biodiversity and prevent further land degradation. Ecosystem restoration has improved <strong>soil fertility and land productivity.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Causes of Land Degradation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Climatic Variability: <\/strong>Prolonged droughts reduce soil moisture and vegetation cover, making land vulnerable to degradation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Soil Erosion: <\/strong>Wind erosion is dominant in arid and semi-arid regions, leading to loss of topsoil.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Floods, cyclones, and landslides<\/strong> degrade land by altering soil structure and removing vegetation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Deforestation:<\/strong> Removal of forest cover for agriculture, urbanisation, and industry exposes soil to erosion.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Industrialisation:<\/strong> Expansion of industries and cities leads to land sealing and loss of fertile land. Mining activities remove topsoil and leave behind degraded landscapes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Government Initiatives to Prevent Land Degradation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Soil Health Card Scheme:<\/strong> It provides farmers with soil nutrient status reports to encourage balanced fertilizer use and improve productivity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Promotion of Organic Farming:<\/strong> Initiatives like Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) encourage organic farming practices to maintain soil health.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA):<\/strong> It focuses on enhancing soil health through integrated farming systems and agroforestry practices.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Green India Mission: <\/strong>It aims to increase forest and tree cover by 5 million hectares and improve the quality of forest cover in another 5 million hectares.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>National Afforestation Programme: <\/strong>It supports the afforestation, reforestation, and eco-restoration of degraded forests and non-forest lands.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Global Initiatives<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Global Soil Partnership (GSP):<\/strong> It is an FAO-led initiative to improve global soil governance and promote sustainable soil management.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) <\/strong>has a pledge for <strong>land degradation neutrality (LDN) by 2030.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>4 per 1000 Initiative:<\/strong> It aims to increase soil carbon stocks by 0.4% annually to combat climate change and enhance soil health.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concluding remarks<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Restoring land is not only an environmental necessity, it is a pathway to resilience, stability and prosperity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sustained commitment towards land restoration not only combat desertification but also foster inclusive growth, stability, and long-term prosperity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><strong>United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>UNCCD was <strong>established in 1994<\/strong> to protect and restore the land and ensure a safer, just, and more sustainable future.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>is the <strong>only legally binding framework <\/strong>set up to address desertification and the effects of drought.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There are <strong>197 Parties<\/strong> to the Convention, including 196 country Parties and the <strong>European Union.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.downtoearth.org.in\/environment\/cloud-seeding-early-warning-protected-area-expansion-how-saudi-arabia-restored-1-million-hectares-of-degrad\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>DTE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification reported that Saudi Arabia has restored nearly one million hectares of degraded land and is being seen as a model for large-scale land reclamation in water-scarce and desertified regions. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> Extent of Global Land Degradation <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Land degradation refers to the decline in land productivity due to factors such as soil erosion, salinisation, deforestation, and unsustainable land use. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Approximately 40% of the global land surface is degraded, with the majority located in dryland regions and affecting nearly three billion people globally by undermining food security, water availability, and livelihoods. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> According to the Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas 2021, approximately 97.85 million hectares, roughly 29.77% of India\u2019s total geographical area, underwent land degradation during 2018-19. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/28-03-2026\/saudi-land-restoration \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70419"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70419\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70422,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70419\/revisions\/70422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}