Question: At which of the following place, 14th meeting of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP 14) was organised?
(a) Gurugram
(b) Greater Noida
(c) New Delhi
(d) Shimla
Answer: (b)
Related facts:
- 14th meeting of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP 14) held in Greater Noida during 2nd to 13th September, 2019.
- In this conference, researchers warned that Indian cheetah, pink-headed Duck and Great Indian Bustard can become extinct in India due to desertification.
- Many other animals and birds have come under the category of critically endangered species.
- The Zoological Survey of India has a database for more than 5.6 million samples, which were collected from all over India and from neighboring countries before independence.
- Looking at their distribution in geo-special platforms shows the impact of deforestation and desertification.
- According to researchers, desertification affects not only animals but also the entire biodiversity.
- More than 30 percent of its land is degraded through deforestation, excessive cultivation, soil erosion and wetland decay.
Cause of desertification
- There may be various causes of desertification geographical as well as manmade.
- Under the manmade causes; desertification may occur due to extensive use of insecticides, pesticides and other industrial chemicals.
- The chemical mentioned above degrades the top soil and makes it fragile and unfit for cultivation ultimately and permanently.
- Desertification also occurs due to Conversion to agricultural land, industries and indiscriminate development.
- To save our land from desertification everything has to be regulated so that it could be minimised and we can reverse this process back.
- The researcher also said that desertification not only impacts animals but the entire biodiversity, which includes microscopic animals to human beings.
- Desertification also affects the entire food chain in the biosphere of the related area.
Links:
https://www.unccd.int/conventionconference-parties-cop/cop14-2-13-september-new-delhi-india
https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/3-animal-species-in-india-extinct-due-to-desertification-researchers-at-unccd-meet-1597652-2019-09-10