Page 2 - Home Assignment-Environment and sustainable development
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  Loss of vegetation occuring due to deforestation.
                    Unsustainable fuel wood and fodder extraction.
                    Shifting cultivation.
                    Reduction into forest lands.
                    Forest fifes and overgrazing.
                    Non-adoption of adequate soil conservation measures.
                    Improper crop rotation.
                    Indiscriminate use of agro chemicals such as fertilisers and pesticides.
                    Improper planning and management of irrigation system.
                    Extraction of ground water in excess of the regain capacity.
                    Open access resource.
                    Poverty of the agriculture-dependent people.


               Factors Contributing to Deforestation


                    Growing industrial demand for wood and other forest products.
                    Growing demand for wood owing to explosive rise in population.
                    River valley projects.


               The economic development we have achieved so far is on the cost of environmental degradation.
               The era of globlisation promises higher economic growth, but on the same side it had adverse
               consequences that had impacted environment.


               In order to understand the sustainable path of development, the significance and contribution of
               environment to economic development should be understood. With this in mind, we would be
               able to achieve sustainable development in India.


               Environment is defined as the total planetary inheritance and the totality of all resources. It
               includes all the biotic (e.g. birds, animals, plants, forests, etc) and abiotic (e.g., water, Sun, land,
               mountains, etc) factors that influence each other.


               According to the Environment Act-1986, ‘Environment includes, water, air and land and the
               inter relationship which exists among and between water, air, land and human beings and other
               creatures, plants, micro organisms and property’.


               Biodiversity Loss
               India is the owner of 2.5% of world’s geographical area. India holds 17% of human and 20% of
               livestock population on its land. In order to hold livestock and human in country, country needs
               0.47 hectare of land to meet the basic needs but it has only 0.08 hectare of land which causes
               felling of forests and soil erosion. 5.3 billion tonnes of soil is eroded every year. As a result
               quantity of nutrients lost due to erosion each year ranges from 5.8 to 8.4 million tonnes.
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