Increase in desertification/land degradation affected areas, reduction in fertile lands and resultant migration of people and cattle, as well as poverty, are issues of global concern. Space technology can be effectively utilised not only for rapid inventory and monitoring but also for action plan preparation to combat land degradation.

More than a quarter of the total geographic area (TGA)-96.4 million hectares (mha) or 29.32%-in India is undergoing degradation as per this Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas, released in June by ISRO Space Applications Centre (SAC).

This national wetland atlas prepared by SAC, Ahmedabad as a part of the project on National Wetland Inventory & Assessment presents wetland status of each State/Union Territory through text, statistical tables, satellite images,maps and ground photographs.