Land use: Historical perspectives. Focus on Indo-Gangetic Plains

The Indo-Gangetic plains region cuts across Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan. It is the most extensive fluvial plain of the world and is well endowed with natural resources, deep productive soils, plentiful surface and ground water as well as favourable climate. The region has been the seat of intense human activity with 'adoption of high input technology' and intensification of agriculture during the last four decades. During the recent past, there have been sustainability concerns because of loss of biodiversity, soil degradation, depletion of nutrient stocks and declining water table. To develop a long-term perspective for sustainable planning and for assessing the contribution of land cover change to atmospheric gases viz. CO2, CH4 and N2O, an analysis of the technological options and role of biophysical and socio-economic factors, both past and present, which drive land use and cover change is the need of the hour! Some articles, however, address the issues of the Indian subcontinent as a whole. This book summarizes the present status of knowledge on the subject which would help in developing strategies and policy options for the future.