This document discusses land degradation and wastelands. It defines wastelands as land that is unusable for growing plants or building structures. Land degradation is any change to land that is considered harmful, and is caused by human activities like deforestation, overgrazing, agriculture, and urbanization. The document then discusses strategies to prevent land degradation like strip farming, crop rotation, and contour farming. It provides a case study of a basalt quarry in Timba, Gujarat that was degraded but then restored to a nature woodland over 8 years using techniques like planting native trees and developing the soil.

1. WASTELANDS
LAND DEGRADATION

2. WASTELAND
▪ Land where nothing can grow or be built :
land that is not usable
▪ An ugly and often ruined place or area
▪ Something that is being compared to a
large, empty area of land because it has no
real value or interest
▪ Whose top soil has been nearly completely
lost.

3. LAND DEGRADATION
▪ Land degradation is a process in which
the value of the biophysical
environment is affected by a combination
of human-induced processes acting upon
the land.
▪ It is viewed as any change or disturbance
to the land perceived to be deleterious or
undesirable.
▪ Natural hazards are excluded as a cause;
however human activities can indirectly
affect phenomena such as floods and
bush fires.

4. Areas of Concern for Soil Degradation

5. Causes of Land Degradation
▪ Deforestation: Increasing demands of timber, fuel and forest products which results into
degradation of land resources.
▪ Overgrazing: It results into reduced growth of vegetation, reduced diversity of plant
species, excessive growth of unwanted plant species, soil erosion.
▪ Agricultural practices: The modern agricultural practices has adversely degraded the
natural.
▪ Industrialization: It leads to excessive deforestation in such as way that it has lost its
natural up gradation quality.
▪ Urbanization: It is also one of the reasons for land degradation.

6. Causes of Land Degradation

7. Prevention of Land Degradation
▪ Strip farming: Crops are sown in alternative strips to
prevent water movement.
▪ Crop Rotation: Following a rotation system which
helps in replenishment of the soil.
▪ Ridge and Furrow Formation: Formation of ridge and
furrow during irrigation which lessens run off.
▪ Construction of Dams: This usually checks or reduces
the velocity of run off.
▪ Contour Farming: Useful in collecting and diverting
the run off to avoid erosion.
CONTOUR FARMING
STRIP FARMING RIDGE AND FURROW

8. CASE STUDY :
BASALT QUARRY,
TIMBA,
GUJARAT

9. BASALT QUARRY, TIMBA, GUJARAT
▪ Timba is located about 110 km south east of Ahmedabad.
Here the geological track forms the part of Pavagdh basalt
deposits and has been in the past several decades.
▪ A Completely barren basalt quarry up to depth of 15 to 20m
was done on the site. The exhausted quarry tract is spread
over an area of forty one hectares.
▪ The quarry operation has disturbed the natural ecological
environment and created large barren and degraded land.
▪ The vegetation was in poor condition because of the poor
soil strata.
Introduction

10. Restoration Method
▪ The restoration landscape design is done by Prabhakhar
P Bhagwat Associate.
▪ Landscape architects decided to convert the old quarry
into nature woodland. In the initial stage suggestions from
others consisted of planting the entire land with
monoculture of Eucalyptus & Leucaena Leucocephala.
▪ In the beginning detailed study of Basalt quarry was
carried out. This included the analysis of the natural and
manmade factors affecting the ecosystem of quarry.
Technical issues such as the effect of microclimate,
topography, soil characteristics, hydrology & the pattern
of flora and fauna were considered.

11. ▪ After a detail study of existing vegetable pattern,
ecological seral stages, plant mix was identified
that would be sustained in the absence of any
biotic interferences.
▪ The only existing vegetation was at the site was
marginal scrub formation with a extremely sparse
distribution of Neem trees.
▪ The first step in the processes was to enable
humus formation to make the soil rich in order to
sustain further vegetation cover.
▪ In order to encourage this growth, weeds from
nearby areas were developed on the site. With the
first shower much of the desired effect was
achieved and by second year and entire area was
covered with a carpet of vegetation.

12. ▪ At the same time a list of trees was made and
seedlings raised in the nursery at the site and these
trees were planted in the shallow pits.
▪ Soil working and mulching was done to encourage
growth of plants. By the third the growth was
established and more or less self sustainable.
▪ Other plants grasses and shrubs, not originally
planted made their appearance in the third and fourth
year.
▪ By the eight year the process was entire complete
and was self sufficient in all respects. Several of the
trees had flowered and seeded.
▪ Harnessing water resources within the quarry was
also a critical area of work. The lake formed by rain
water was stoked with popular varieties of fish.

13. 6. THE FOREST
BASALT QUARRY, TIMBA, GUJARAT
2. OVERBURDEN 3. SOIL OVERLOAD
4. GROUND COVER 5. PLANTING
1. LAND

16. THANK
YOU 03. ABHISHEK AGRAWAL
13. MANAS CHORDIYA
19. RAJDEEP DESHPANDE
30. YASH JAIN