Approaches for Land Restoration: An Alternative Strategy for Climate Change Mitigation

Land is a paramount natural resource essential for human survival and well-being. However, the expanding human population’s escalating demands exert excessive pressure on ecosystem functions, compromise forest biodiversity, and contribute to land degradation. Climate change further exacerbates the degradation of forested areas. In this context, land restoration becomes essential to proactively engage in the restoration of degraded lands, seeking to halt the loss of precious land and mitigate climate change. This chapter highlights the magnitude and causes of degradation and the challenges in restoring degraded lands. It also presents a comprehensive overview of the critical issue of land degradation, highlighting its global significance and multifaceted impact on ecosystems, biodiversity, and human well-being. The chapter further explores various restoration approaches, encompassing ecological methods and sustainable agronomic practices, to address this complex challenge of land degradation and climate change mitigation. Nature-based solutions are identified and emphasized as a sustainable approach to land restoration. The chapter also discusses the role and opportunities of different national and international schemes in achieving land restoration in India.