REHABILITATION OF DEGRADED LANDS IN INDIA: ECOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL DIMENSIONS

Abstract

In a developing country such as India, rehabilitation of degraded lands must be closely linked with sustainable community development. Achieving this demands integration of disciplinary approaches by Geologists and sociologists who have traditionally worked separately. This paper considers such a possible synergy using case studies: a multidisciplinary analysis of the shifting agriculture (jhum) system in northeastern India, and an examination of water management as a key factor in successful restoration.