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Land Conservation Strategies

Land is a limited resource and yet an indispensable resource for meeting the social, economic and environmental demands and targets. The growing development associated by the growing population and the associated urbanization and industrialization is increasing pressure on land resource. Due to unplanned and haphazard use of land resources, land gets increasingly affected by the conflicting land uses and competition of mutually exclusive uses, besides posing serious concerns and negative impacts.

Land use planning and management is a known strategy for achieving sustainable development. A properly prepared land use plan based on sound scientific and technical procedures, and land utilisation strategies can summarize rationally the future demands. This accompanied by a strong planning process, where communities and various stakeholders are involved, can strengthen the decision making process on allocation and utilisation of land resources.  

The increasing pressure on land poses challenges for sustainable development. There is a need for viable solutions for optimal utilization of land resources that are footed on sound guiding principles. There is a need to support the developmental sectors to achieve their targets, such as those of urban and industrial development, mining, tourism, and infrastructure development (transportation, ports, harbours, airports etc.) through properly planned and guided development in a sustainable manner so as not to have land use conflicts or negative environmental impacts. There is a need to preserve and conserve lands that are under important environmental functions such as those declared as national parks, wild life sanctuaries, reserved forests etc. and regulating & controlling land uses around such preserved and conserved land uses including the eco sensitive zones, so as not to have land use conflicts or negative environmental impacts. 

Further, there is a need to support social development, particularly of the rural communities, and the tribal and backward communities by securing lands that are required for addressing the issues of livelihood, poverty eradication, inclusiveness and gender. There is a need to protect agricultural areas that are essential for food security including the prime agricultural lands, command areas of irrigation projects, double cropped land and lands that are essential for livelihood of rural population. Also, there is a need to protect cultural, historic and tourism areas including religious places of importance, scenic areas, heritage areas, archaeological sites etc.  

Some of the major challenges related to land resource utilization are summarized below: 

·         Land is a limited resource and has pressure from social, economic and environmental needs, including urbanization, industrialization, mining, transportation, rural development, protection of environmentally sensitive zones and resource areas etc.

·         There are competing land uses for the same parcel of land for their location, for example agriculture use versus industrial or commercial or residential use, mining versus other land uses.  There are conflicting land uses, for example an eco sensitive zone adjoining a chemical industrial park.  There are negative impacts from improper or lack of land use planning causing social conflicts and protests against land acquisition, pollution and negative environmental impacts, over exploitation of resources, climate change and disaster risks. 

LAND USE PLANNING AS A SOLUTION 

Land resource is put to different uses and some land uses attract other uses. For example, an industrial estate attracts other land uses such as transportation, housing areas, trade & commercial areas, waste wastewater treatment installations etc. These different uses interact and may compete or conflict with one another. For example, air pollution and disaster risks from industries can potentially pose threats to the housing areas. Therefore, all such uses are required to be planned and managed in an integrated manner.  

The Agenda 21 resulting from the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro highlighted the importance of land use planning and management for achieving sustainable development. Land use planning as a strategy has been advocated for decades now. Land use planning, as defined by the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme published in 1999, reflects consensus among the international organizations. Land use planning is understood as, “Systematic and iterative procedure carried out in order to create an enabling environment for sustainable development of land resources which meets people’s needs and demands. It assesses the physical, socio-economic, institutional and legal potentials and constraints with respect to optimal and sustainable use of natural resources and land, and empowers people to make decisions about how to allocate those resources”.  

A properly prepared land use plan based on sound scientific, and technical procedures, and land utilisation strategies can summarize rationally the future demands. This accompanied by a strong planning process, where communities and various stakeholders are involved, can strengthen the decision making process on allocation and utilisation of land resources. Land use planning may be undertaken at State, district, watershed, city, village or other local levels.  

However, in the countries which lack comprehensive and integrated land use planning, or where the instruments of land use planning are used only to a limited extent, enabling of a rationale and optimal utilisation of land would be a core issue. The lack of uniform policy framework, institutional structures as well as organisational capacities and human capacities, and financial resources will pose constraints in undertaking systematic land use planning and management.

Agroforestry is a method used to preserve a functional ecosystem while conserving biodiversity and providing for human use and benefit of natural resources. It is an innovative approach that combines forest and agriculture and/or livestock in order to create a more productive, diverse, and sustainable land-use system. As such, carefully selected tree species with small-scale farming is established, either through interspersing planted trees with short-term crops or by growing crops that are suitable for shady conditions, such as coffee. Agroforestry practices can also enhance ecosystem services, including groundwater recharge and soil health and stability.

Ecotourism joins responsible travel to natural areas with an empowerment and financial benefit to local peoples. It is meant to minimize impact while building environmental and cultural awareness. However, ecotourism can also be concerning, as locals must weigh the benefits of economic gain with the potential threat of greater outsider access to environmentally-sensitive areas.

Bioprospecting is the search for new compounds, microorganisms, and other biological material with potential economic value that can be utilized for commercial purposes. Areas rich in biodiversity are thought to be the most likely prospects for this type of research. Glaxo Wellcome, a British pharmaceutical company, originally funded the Centre for Natural Products Research (now incorporated as MerLion Pharmaceuticals Ltd) which surveys species in Asia for medicinal purposes. Conservation International also initiated a similar agreement between Bristol-Meyers Squib, Suriname, and the National Institutes of Health. Yet, despite the potential, questions remain as to whether the regions themselves receive comparable benefit when discoveries arise. In addition, there is a risk of biopiracy—bioprospecting in secrecy without the sharing of resulting benefits.

Other conservation methods:

1. Practice no till farming. With no till farming, crops are allowed to remain rather than being plowed under at the end of the season. This practice keeps soils anchored in place rather than having bare ground exposed to wind and water.

2. Use terrace farming. This type of farming uses the topography of the land to slow water flow through a series of terraces. This manipulation of the water flow prevents it from gathering speed and washing soil away from farmlands.

3. Practice contour farming. Contour farming replicates the effects of terrace farming, but on a smaller scale. Rather than planting crops in straight vertical rows, crops are planted following the contour of the landscape. Crops planted up and down hillsides create pathways for water to flow. Crops planted parallel to the land slow the flow of water that prevents soil erosion.

Resource Planning

7. Plant windbreaks. Windbreaks prevent soil erosion by slowing the force of the wind over open ground. You can plant trees or shrubs in your windbreak. In addition to preventing erosion, these plantings will prevent snow from drifting onto your driveway or into the road. They can also protect your home from wind damage.

8. Restore wetlands. Wetlands are one of the most effective ways to prevent soil erosion. Wetlands act as natural sponges, absorbing rainwater and preventing it from carrying the soil away. They also provide a habitat for birds and other wildlife and help prevent water pollution.

9. Plant buffer strips along stream banks. Buffer strips help hold stream banks intact during times of flooding. They also prevent runoff from entering waterways. Buffer strips can include a mixture of grasses, shrubs, and trees.

10. Re-establish forest cover. The re establishment of forest cover  provides an extensive, tree-root network that offers a long-term solution to soil erosion. It can function both as a windbreak and a means to anchor soils in place