1.2.2 Changing concept
Gradually the realisation came that whatever environmental management activities
are conducted anywhere, these are conducted for betterment of the society living
around i.e. for improving their QoL Hence forth QoL of the society around is being
given prime importance in every activity towards environmental management and
hence also for LUMP.
Further, studies of some scientists (Spangale, et.al., 1976, Karunakaran 1982,
Mukherjee, 1999) has revealed that each and every details of geological characteristics
have important bearing on a land's potentiality to support any LU. Importance
of ecosystem in a land's capability to support any LU was revealed by a study
of Raju (1999).
The present study is an attempt to incorporate these views in LUPg.
1.3 Outline and organisation of the study
Importance of the study arises from recognition of the facts that
* there is an urgent need for reorganising the LUPg system to be followed in MAs
* requirements and aspirations of the people living around the MAs should get
prime importance in the LUPg system to make it implementable
* certain physical characteristics of the land play a major role to identify the
lands capability to support any LUP. Due consideration of such physical factors
only can make any LUMP successful.
The basic purpose of the study is to devise a LUPg system for MAs which will be
able to take care of the above facts. It is expected that following such LUPg
system in MAs will avoid the problems of implementation of LUMP in MAs and will
also gradually help alleviating the problem of decreasing trend of green cover
over the country.
The monograph further includes a review of
* the global scenario on approaches made to study LU and LU changes.
* the Indian scenario on LUP, impacts of mining on LU and legal provisions for
preventing these LU changes
* LUPg system in India and some foreign countries
* considering land reclamation as result of implementation of LUMP
* reviewing techno-economic feasibility of implementation of some reclamation
techniques and
* an attempt to suggest some LUPg guide lines for MAs by identifying the LUPg
determinants.
1.4 Scope and limitations of the study
The solid cover of the earth i.e. land is a finite natural resource. It is very
important for men as it is required to keep all materials of human use. Hence
LU is a matter of global importance, and LU change is a matter of global concern.
In Indian perspective LU change has taken a serious shape. Topsoil is getting
lost from the country by a serious rate of erosion, and green cover is getting
depleted regularly while the users of land are also increasing.
Thus there is a very serious requirement of conducting studies on LU and LU change.
Even in Indian context there is a scope of three dimensional studies in this matter,
for analysing its variations, and causes and consequences of variations in
* space (to cover the whole country),
* time (to cover the whole span of 10 thousand years, since the men started disturbing
the LU) and
* the different components and determinants of LU.
However, the present monograph is the result of a study conducted with several
limitations mainly with respect to time and space. The monograph concerns a very
limited scope also. Thus the coverage is:
* a very limited time, say about a century
* the chief components of concern are forest areas (F), cultivation lands(C),
mining areas (M), builtup areas (B), and water potentialities (W).
* the chief determinants of LU considered are aspirations of the society around
and the physical conditions of the land.
Further, it is a report generated through literature survey, several field observations,
and a thorough analysis and assessment of some of the real-field conditions to
cover
* a shorter space i.e. coal mining areas of India (CMAs)
* a time of about seventy-six years
* components of LU considered are F, C, M, B, W and all other varieties of LULC
grouped together as O.
* the chief determinants of LU considered are density and income status of the
population around and the physical conditions of the land.