Category 10 · Environment & Ecology

Land, Forest and Soil Resources

16 micro topics in Environment & Ecology for UPSC Prelims, in book order: Causes and Impact of Land Degradation; Desertification and Sustainable Land Management; and 14 more.

10.1

Causes and Impact of Land Degradation

Land degradation is the decline in the biological or economic productivity and ecological health of land, caused by natural processes and, far more often, by human activity. It covers loss of fertile topsoil, loss of vegetation,…
10.2

Desertification and Sustainable Land Management

Desertification is land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas, caused by climatic variation and human activities, in which land loses its productive capacity and begins to resemble a desert. It is not the spread…
10.3

Forest Survey of India (FSI) Definition of Forests and Types of Forest Cover

The Forest Survey of India (FSI), set up in 1981 under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change with headquarters at Dehradun, assesses India's forest and tree resources every two years and publishes the India…
10.4

FSI State of Forest Report Findings

The India State of Forest Report (ISFR) is the Forest Survey of India's biennial assessment of forest and tree resources. The 2021 report (17th) put forest cover at about 7.13 lakh sq km, 21.71 percent of…
10.5

Types of Forests in India

India's forests are classified by climate, rainfall and altitude. The standard scheme is the Champion and Seth classification (1968), which recognises 16 type groups in six major groups: moist tropical, dry tropical, montane sub-tropical, montane temperate,…
10.6

Causes and Consequences of Deforestation on Wildlife

Deforestation is the permanent removal of forest cover for other land uses such as farming, mining, settlement, roads or dams. In India, the main causes include expansion of agriculture and encroachment, shifting cultivation, felling for timber…
10.7

Strategies for Reducing Deforestation

Reducing deforestation needs a mix of law, incentives, technology and community action, because the drivers are economic as well as ecological. Key strategies are legal protection of forests and strict enforcement against illegal felling and encroachment;…
10.8

Government Programmes for Forest Conservation

India runs several laws, missions and schemes for forest conservation. The legal base includes the Indian Forest Act, 1927, the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 (renamed the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam in 2023), the Wildlife (Protection)…
10.9

Soil Characteristics and Soil Formation Process

Soil is the thin, loose layer on the Earth's surface made of weathered mineral particles, organic matter, water, air and living organisms, in which plants grow. A typical productive soil is roughly 45 percent mineral matter,…
10.10

Factors Responsible for Soil Formation and Soil-Forming Processes

Soil formation is controlled by five factors, summarised by Hans Jenny as climate, organisms, relief, parent material and time. Parent material sets the mineral composition and texture; climate, through rainfall and temperature, drives weathering, leaching and…
10.11

Soil Profiles and Horizons

A soil profile is the vertical section of soil from the surface down to the unweathered parent rock, showing a series of distinct layers called horizons that differ in colour, texture, structure and composition. The standard…
10.12

Types of Soils in India and the World

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) groups India's soils into eight major types: alluvial, black (regur), red, laterite, arid or desert, saline and alkaline, peaty and marshy, and forest and mountain soils. Alluvial soil, deposited…
10.13

Soil Erosion and Problems Due to Excessive Irrigation

Soil erosion is the detachment and removal of soil particles by water, wind, ice or gravity. Natural or geological erosion is slow and balanced by soil formation, while accelerated erosion caused by deforestation, overgrazing, ploughing along…
10.14

Soil Conservation Measures

Soil conservation means protecting soil from erosion and loss of fertility through practices that keep it covered, hold it in place and improve its structure. Mechanical or engineering methods include contour bunding, terracing, trenching and gully…
10.15

Soil Health Card Scheme

The Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme was launched by the Prime Minister on 19 February 2015 at Suratgarh, Rajasthan, under the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. It provides every farmer with a card, issued on…
10.16

Organic Farming

Organic farming is a production system that avoids synthetic fertilisers, synthetic pesticides, growth regulators and genetically modified organisms, and relies on crop rotation, crop residues, animal manure, compost, green manure, biofertilisers and biological pest control to…

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Frequently asked questions

Which topics are in Land, Forest and Soil Resources?

Land, Forest and Soil Resources has 16 micro topics in Environment & Ecology: Causes and Impact of Land Degradation; Desertification and Sustainable Land Management; Forest Survey of India (FSI) Definition of Forests and Types of Forest Cover; FSI State of Forest Report Findings; Types of Forests in India; Causes and Consequences of Deforestation on Wildlife; Strategies for Reducing Deforestation; Government Programmes for Forest Conservation; Soil Characteristics and Soil Formation Process; Factors Responsible for Soil Formation and Soil-Forming Processes; Soil Profiles and Horizons; Types of Soils in India and the World; Soil Erosion and Problems Due to Excessive Irrigation; Soil Conservation Measures; Soil Health Card Scheme; Organic Farming.

Is Land, Forest and Soil Resources important for UPSC Prelims?

Land, Forest and Soil Resources is a part of the UPSC Prelims Environment & Ecology syllabus map on MaargX UPSC. Each of its 16 published topics has key terms, a Mains angle and practice questions.