Topic: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
5. The process of desertification occurs due to human activities on lands that are highly susceptible to overuse and improper agricultural practices, leading to significant environmental and socio-economic consequence. Elaborate. (250 words)
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: Insights on India
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 3 and mentioned as part of Mission-2023 Secure timetable.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the causes and consequences of desertification in India.
Directive word:
Elaborate – Give a detailed account as to how and why it occurred, or what is the context. You must be defining key terms wherever appropriate and substantiate with relevant associated facts.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by defining desertification and present statistics regarding it.
Body:
First, write about its causes – It is caused primarily by human activities and climatic variations. It occurs because dryland ecosystems, which cover over one third of the world ‘s land area, are extremely vulnerable to overexploitation and inappropriate land use.
Next, elaborate upon the socio-economic impact of desertification.
Next, stress on the measures needed to fight desertification.
Conclusion:
Conclude with a way forward.
