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Aravallis: Forests Grow, Soil Erodes Amidst Urban Sprawl
11 Mar
Summary
- Built-up areas in the Aravallis increased by 53% between 2017 and 2024.
- Annual soil loss rose by 13.8% despite an increase in forest cover.
- Human activity and climate change combine to degrade vulnerable ecosystems.
Built-up areas in India's Aravallis have dramatically expanded by 53% between 2017 and 2024. This sharp increase in development has occurred at the expense of rangelands and croplands, contributing to a significant 13.8% rise in mean annual soil loss during the same period. Researchers from O.P. Jindal Global University and IIT Kharagpur found that soil erosion hotspots are strongly linked to steep slopes, susceptible soils, and mining activities.
Interestingly, this period also saw an overall growth in forest cover across the Aravalli mountain system. However, the study emphasizes that these localized conservation successes are insufficient to counteract the widespread impact of land conversion. The transformation of semi-natural vegetation into impervious built surfaces diminishes the land's natural defenses, affecting downstream ecosystems.
This trend mirrors challenges faced by ancient mountain systems globally. The degradation is compounded by an increase in climatic erosivity alongside human-caused erosion. This synergy between human actions and climate change is a characteristic of vulnerable ecosystem decline worldwide, leading to predictable increases in soil erosion rates.
