Land degradation and development in India: Status quo, challenges and opportunities

Abstract

This article reviews and synthesizes the articles published in a virtual special issue (VSI) “Land Degradation and Development in India: Status quo, challenges, and opportunities.” A total of 31 studies (28 research papers and three reviews) are published in this VSI covering various agroclimatic zones of India. These articles provide insights on how different natural and anthropogenic disturbances affect the diversity, and functioning of forests, grasslands, agriculture, agroforestry, and physicochemical and biological composition of the soil. Twelve of these articles also investigate the effectiveness of different restoration methods to restore various degraded ecosystems through agroforestry, afforestation and reforestation, organic amendments, and agroecological interventions. The historical journey of forest restoration, behavioral pattern of local communities for conservation and restoration, and policy framework for restoration in India are discussed in three independent articles. Overall, there is convergence in learnings from these papers for structural and non‐structural land degradation, soil salinization, and agroforestry but results from papers on plantations and organic inputs into farming highlight the need for more research.