22 MAY 2024

Global Land Outlook Thematic Report on Rangelands and Pastoralists

Syllabus: GS3/Environment

Context

• According to the report by the UN Convention on Combating Desertification (UNCCD), pastoralists in India, who rear livestock and depend on grasslands, need better recognition of their rights and access to markets.

Key Findings of report

• Almost half of the world’s rangelands are degraded due to climate change, population growth, land-use change and growing farmlands.
• Pastoralists are a marginalized community with little influence on policy decisions, resulting in uncertainty over access to common land and land rights.
• Grasslands have been virtually overlooked in environmental conservation and ecosystem restoration policies in favor of forestry-based interventions, which includes converting natural grasslands into plantation forests or other uses.
• Degradation: Less than 5 percent of India’s grasslands fall within protected areas, and the total grassland area declined from 18 to 12 million hectares between 2005 and 2015.

What are Rangelands?

• Rangelands are characterized by low vegetation and comprise grasslands, shrublands, wetlands, desert, semi-arid land, mountain pastures, plateaus and tundra.
• They cover 80 million sq km, which is 54 percent of the earth’s land surface. 
• These rangelands are an important ecosystem to fight against climate change as they act as carbon sinks and prevent soil erosion, land degradation and desertification.

Rangelands in India

• Rangelands occupy about 121 million hectares in India and a large part (around 100 million hectares) of these is considered underutilized.
• The report highlighted that around 120 million hectares of land in India is degraded due to water erosion (82 million hectares), wind erosion (12 million hectares), chemical contamination (25 million hectares), and physical degradation (1 million hectares).

Pastoralist communities in India

• Pastoralists contribute to the economy through livestock rearing and milk production. 
• The population of pastoralist communities, comprising groups such as Maldharis, Van Gujjars and Rabaris, among others, is estimated to be 20 million or more.
• The livestock sector of the economy contributes 4 percent of national gross domestic product and 26 per’
  cent of agricultural gross domestic product. 
• India accounts for 20 percent of the world’s livestock population.

Government measures

• Forest Rights Act 2006 has helped pastoralists obtain grazing rights across states in the country.
• Government through welfare schemes has provided assistance to pastoralists under the National Livestock Mission, Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund and the Rashtriya Gokul Mission on sustainable dairy production.
• India has launched several programmes to combat land degradation including the National Afforestation Programme, Green India Mission, and Watershed Development Component.

Suggestion 

• Integrated climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies with sustainable rangeland management plans are needed to increase carbon sequestration and storage while boosting the resilience of pastoralist and rangeland communities.
• Avoid rangeland conversion that diminish the diversity and multifunctionality of rangelands, especially on indigenous and communal lands.
• Adopt and support pastoralism-based strategies that help mitigate harms to rangeland health, such as climate change, overgrazing, soil erosion, invasive species, drought, and wildfires.

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) – UNCCD was established in 1994 to protect and restore the land and ensure a safer, just, and more sustainable future.  – is the only legally binding framework set up to address desertification and the effects of drought.  – There are 197 Parties to the Convention, including 196 country Parties and the European Union.

Source: IE

Water For Shared Prosperity Report

Syllabus: GS3/Environmental Conservation

Context

• The World Bank has released the Water For Shared Prosperity report at the 10th World Water Forum in Bali, Indonesia.

About

• It highlights the global inequalities in water access and recommends pro-poor and inclusive interventions to improve water security and boosting shared prosperity.
• The report emphasises the widening gap in access to water resources and services, with implications for human and economic development worldwide. 

World Water Forum – The World Water Forum is organized every three years between the World Water Council and a host country. – The Forum provides a unique platform where the water community and key decision makers can collaborate and make long-term progress on global water challenges. – The Forum brings together participants from all levels and areas, including politics, multilateral institutions, academia, civil society and the private sector, among others.

Major Highlights of the Report

• Water determines prosperity through three primary channels: as safe drinking water, as an essential input for various economic sectors, and as a critical support for ecosystems.

• Access to Safe Water: In 2022, 2.2 billion people lacked access to safely managed drinking water services, while 3.5 billion lacked access to safely managed sanitation.
  • Low-income countries, in particular, have seen regression in access to safe drinking water, with an additional 197 million people lacking access since 2000. 
• Rural – Urban Gap: Eight out of ten people who do not have access to basic drinking water and sanitation services live in rural areas, and little progress has been made in closing the rural-urban access gap in low-income countries over the last two decades.
• Most Water Stressed: Hotspots in the Sahel, Southeastern Africa, and South and Central Asia are the most water stressed.
  • The Democratic Republic of the Congo has more than half of Africa’s total water resources. 
• Climate change: Climate change is also increasing water-related risks.
  • Between 2000 and 2021, developing countries experienced more severe droughts and longer-lasting floods than advanced economies, which had long-term consequences for nutrition, school attendance, and economic welfare.
• Risk of Drought: Globally, over 800 million people are at high risk of drought, with twice as many living in flood-prone areas.
• Employment: Water-intensive sectors account for 56 percent of jobs in low-income countries but only 20 percent in high-income countries.
  • In Sub-Saharan Africa, where water-dependent jobs account for 62 percent of total employment, low rainfall availability frequently results in significant negative gross domestic product or GDP growth.
• Poor Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH): At the global level, during 2019 alone, poor WASH conditions contributed to between 1.4 and 4.2 million deaths.
  • Lack of access to WASH also affects optimal cognitive development, school attainment, labor productivity, and income. 

Recommendations

• Enhancing resilience to extreme hydro-climatic risks for the poorest by
  • Setting up robust and inclusive early-warning systems. 
  • Developing insurance programs for weather risks. 
  • Scaling up social protection schemes to assist vulnerable communities impacted by floods, droughts, or both. 
• Improving water resources development, management, and allocation by
  • Scaling up nature-based solutions through innovative financing schemes and evidence-based approaches. 
  • Enabling coordination of and cooperation for water allocation through information sharing and financial incentives. 
  • Adopting water accounting to inform water allocation decisions. 
• Improving equitable and inclusive service delivery by 
  • Scaling up financing through institutional and tariff reforms. 
  • Creating an enabling regulatory and policy environment to promote innovations. 
  • Improving coordination of institutions responsible for water, health, education, and urban planning.

Scarcity of Water in India – India has 18 percent of the world’s population, but only 4 percent of its water resources, making it among the most water-stressed in the world.  – A NITI Aayog report, ‘Composite Water Management Index’ (2018) has said that India is facing its ‘worst’ water crisis in history, with more than 600 million people facing acute water shortages. – India is facing a threat of water shortage as water levels in reservoirs across India have reported lower storage levels than last year. Government Initiatives to Tackle Shortage of Water in India – National Water Mission (NWM): NWM aims to conserve water, minimize wastage, and ensure equitable distribution of water across various sectors.  a. It focuses on promoting water use efficiency, groundwater recharge, and sustainable development of water resources. – Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM): Launched in 2019, the Jal Jeevan Mission aims to provide piped water supply to all rural households by 2024.  – Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY): Launched in 2019, the Atal Bhujal Yojana aims to improve groundwater management and promote sustainable groundwater use in identified water-stressed areas across India.  – The Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT): It was launched in 2015 in selected 500 cities and focuses on the development of basic urban infrastructure in the Mission cities in the sectors of water supply, sewerage & septage management, storm water drainage, green spaces & parks and non-motorized urban transport. – Namami Gange Programme: Launched in 2014, it aims to rejuvenate the River Ganga and its tributaries by addressing pollution, promoting sustainable wastewater management, and restoring the ecological health of the river basin. – Interlinking of Rivers (ILR): The National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has been entrusted with the work of inter-linking of rivers under the National Perspective Plan (NPP).  a. NPP has two components, viz., Himalayan Rivers Development Component and Peninsular Rivers Development Component.  b. 30 link projects have been identified under NPP.

Conclusion

• Water resources that are managed effectively and equitably can foster community trust, inclusivity, and cooperation, ultimately leading to peace. 
• However, if mismanaged, water can act as a threat multiplier, exacerbating existing conflicts or leading to new conflicts.

Source: DTE

Jointness 2.0: Joint Culture in Armed Forces

Syllabus :GS 3/Defense

In News

• The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) has called upon the three services to create a Joint Culture which are prerequisites to the creation of functional Integrated Theatre Commands (ITC).

About the Joint Culture’ in Armed Force

• The Indian Armed Forces have embarked on a transformative journey towards fostering a ‘Joint Culture’—a strategic initiative aimed at enhancing interoperability, efficiency, and combat readiness across its military branches. 

Importance and Need

• The concept of Joint Culture within the armed forces is not merely about uniformity; it’s about harmonising the distinct strengths and capabilities of the Army, Navy, and Air Force to forge a cohesive, formidable force. 
• In an era where threats are becoming increasingly complex and multi-dimensional, the need for a unified approach to defence strategy and operations is paramount.
• Jointness & Integration are prerequisites to the creation of functional Integrated Theatre Commands,
  • The creation of such commands will separate the ‘operational’ functions from the Raise-Train-Sustain (RTS) and other administrative functions, and will allow greater focus of the operational commander to matters of security
• Integrated Theatre Commands will lead to many reforms like Single to Multi Domain operations, fusing space and cyberspace into traditional domains, digitisation of battlefield information and visualisation, net centric to data centric among others.

India’s Stride Towards Jointness

• India’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) has been a vocal advocate for the development of a Joint Culture. 
  • He emphasised the need for a de-novo approach that respects the uniqueness of each service while distilling the best of each to enhance war fighting ability and interoperability.

• The Indian Armed Forces have taken concrete steps towards this goal with initiatives such as the establishment of Integrated Theatre Commands (ITC).
  • These commands are designed to streamline operational functions and foster a joint operational structure, propelling the forces into the next orbit of military preparedness
• The ‘Joint Training Doctrine Indian Armed Forces – 2017’ underscores the importance of synergy and integration among the services. It serves as a foundation for promoting diplomacy, civil-military interface, and stimulating creativity for enhanced joint operations.
•  Various initiatives of symbology that were being processed towards fostering the Joint Culture, including Tri-Services participation in national events.

Challenges 

• The path to achieving a Joint Culture is fraught with challenges.
  •  These include overcoming inter-service rivalries, 
  • aligning strategic objectives, and ensuring equitable resource allocation. 

Conclusion and the Way Forward

• The pursuit of a Joint Culture in the Indian Armed Forces is a testament to India’s commitment to building a ‘Future Ready’ military. 
• By embracing this culture, the forces aim to achieve greater strategic depth, operational flexibility, and a robust defense mechanism capable of countering contemporary and future threats. 
• As the Indian Armed Forces continue to evolve, the Joint Culture will undoubtedly be the cornerstone of its quest for integrated military excellence.
• Joint Culture, though different from Service specific Culture, needs to respect the uniqueness of each service. 

Integrated Theatre Command – An integrated theatre command envisages a unified command of the three Services, under a single commander, for geographical theatres that are of security concern.  – The integrated theatre commander will not be answerable to individual Services, and will be free to train, equip and exercise his command to make it a cohesive fighting force capable of achieving designated goals. – Recommended by Lieutenant General D B Shekatkar Committee. Integrated vs Jointness – Jointness: 3 Services progress and develop in their respective spheres with their independent identity. – Integrated Commands: To merge individual service identities into a cohesive whole. Advantages of Integrated Theatre Command – Better acclimatisation of troops in the battlespace. – Administrative and training requirements (Specialization).  – Quick mobilization of troops during an emergency. – Optimisation of the resources – Prompt and precise decision making (hierarchical redundancies). Disadvantages of Integrated Theatre Command – Medium to high-intensity wars is a distant possibility. – Increasing the communication network eliminates the need for the new organisation. – Limited Domain knowledge. – Interoperability of troops will be difficult and less effective. – May promote a sense of “fighting battles, rather than fighting a war”. Current Command Structure in IndiaCurrent structure: – 17 different commands from Army, Navy and Airforce. – Each command is headed by a 4-star rank military officer. – India only has two tri-service commands (1st A&N and 2nd Strategic Forces Command.

Source: TH

SC Stayed Project in the Forest Area of Uttarakhand

Syllabus: GS3/Infrastructure

Context

• The Supreme Court has temporarily stayed the construction of a 90-acre hotel and township project in the Kumaon hills of Uttarakhand.

About

• The stay was based on a special leave petition raising a question of law whether “single window” clearances could replace prior environmental clearances which were mandatory before commencement of huge constructions in ecologically fragile Uttarakhand.
• The petition sought a bar on the commencement of commercial projects in the State without the requisite permission under law and comprehensive Environment Impact Assessment (EIA).
  • An EIA notification of 2006, clearly stated that “prior environmental clearance is required before any construction work starts as opposed to an ex-post facto approval”.

Fragile Ecology of Uttrakhand

• Most part of Uttarakhand is covered by Himalayan peaks and glaciers. The Himalayas are young fold mountains, formed a few million years ago. 
• Tectonic activities like thrusts, faults and plate collisions are very common here, making the region very unstable and sensitive. 
• As per a report, submitted in the Parliament in 2016, Uttarakhand has the highest number of unstable zones among north Himalayan state Himachal Pradesh and Union Territory Jammu & Kashmir. 
• The adverse geological setting makes the state highly susceptible to intense seismic shaking (earthquakes) and landslides.

Concerns

• Tourism: The state’s economy is majorly based on tourism. The number of people visiting the state as tourists is huge.
  • To cater to tourists, deforestation, mindless construction of hotels and lodges on river edges, widening of narrow lanes is happening on a large scale. 
  • These activities are cutting right into the toes of the delicate slopes of the state, thereby adding to the destabilizing process and exposing the state to nature’s fury.
• Climate Change: As a result of climate change, the rate of melting of Himalayan snow has accelerated significantly since the beginning of the 21st century, leading to weakening of glaciers and increasing the water level in various river systems.
• Infrastructure Development: The mountainous terrain presents challenges for infrastructure development, which is crucial for economic growth.
  • Poor roads, inadequate connectivity, and limited access to basic services hinder business activities and discourage investment.
• Unemployment and Migration: The state grapples with unemployment issues, particularly among the youth.
  • Limited job opportunities often lead to migration to urban areas, resulting in a drain of talent and resources from rural areas.
• Environmental Concerns: Uttarakhand’s fragile ecosystem faces threats from deforestation, unsustainable development practices, and natural disasters like landslides and floods.
  • Balancing economic growth with environmental conservation is a critical challenge.

Suggestions

• Ecological Corridors: Identify and preserve ecological corridors and wildlife habitats to maintain biodiversity and facilitate the movement of wildlife across the landscape.
• Sustainable Tourism Development: Develop eco-friendly accommodation options, promote responsible tourism behavior, and establish protected areas and nature reserves.
• Renewable Energy Integration: Promote the adoption of renewable energy technologies such as solar, wind, and small-scale hydropower to meet energy needs sustainably while minimizing the impact on the environment and local ecosystems.
• Rural Infrastructure Development: Focus on improving infrastructure in rural areas to support sustainable livelihoods, agriculture, and community development. 
• Disaster Resilience Planning: Integrate disaster resilience into infrastructure planning and design to minimize the impact of natural disasters such as floods, landslides, and earthquakes.
• Community Engagement and Capacity Building: Engage local communities in infrastructure planning, decision-making, and implementation to ensure that projects align with their needs, priorities, and traditional knowledge.