Question

Which of the following types of wasteland is NOT primarily caused by human action?

• A. Degraded land under plantation crops.
• B. Degraded forests and pastures.
• C. Mining and industrial wastelands.
• D. Barren rocky areas and steep sloping land.

Hint:

Classification of Wastelands:
Natural causes: Barren rocky areas, steep slopes, desert sands, glacial zones.
Anthropogenic causes: Salinised canal-irrigated soils, degraded pastures, mining wastelands, industrial dumping grounds.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Concept:
Wasteland refers to degraded land that is currently uncultivated, unproductive, or ecologically deteriorated.
Wastelands are classified by their genesis into two categories:
1. Wastelands caused primarily by natural factors (geomorphological, climatic, or geological processes).
2. Wastelands induced or aggravated primarily by anthropogenic (human) interventions.

Step 1: Evaluating Human-Induced Wastelands:
Degraded land under plantation crops results from improper soil conservation, monoculture, and soil depletion caused by human management.
Degraded forests and pastures result directly from anthropogenic overgrazing, commercial logging, and indiscriminate deforestation.
Mining and industrial wastelands are created by human mineral extraction, dumping of overburden, and industrial toxic effluents.

Step 2: Evaluating Naturally Caused Wastelands:
Barren rocky outcrops, steep sloping cliffs, deserts, and glaciated terrain are produced primarily by natural geomorphic processes of weathering, erosion, and tectonic uplifting.
These lands lack topsoil naturally due to extreme slope and geological rock resistance, independent of direct human action.
Final Answer:
Therefore, Barren rocky areas and steep sloping land is NOT primarily caused by human action.