Abstract
Nepal is a mountainous country sandwiched between China and India that
extends along the Hind Kush Himalayan range. The entire country sits on
a geological formation that has witnessed massive transformation in the
past several decades. Land degradation is active in Nepal. This study
reviews the causes of land degradation in Nepal based on publicly
available reports, books, journal articles, and government policy and
regulations. The review also uses publicly available global datasets to
contextualize local conditions. The review shows that topography; land
use and cover change driven by population growth and urbanization;
traditional agricultural practice in steep slope; soil erodibility due
to unscientific ways of farming; use of chemical fertilizers and, pest
and disease control techniques; unsustainable land management by the
government; unscientific infrastructure development has been the
proximate causes of land degradation in the majority of the cases. While
underlying causes include population and poverty; out migration;
deforestation; land tenure and property rights, non-farm employment; and
technological change. The situation when combined with the Landslide
Susceptibility Index and Land Cover data shows that the country needs to
make concerted effort to stop and minimize the damage of land
degradation in the country.