Which of the following statements are correct with respect to land degradation?

(A) All degraded lands are wasteland.
(B) All degraded lands may not be wasteland, but unchecked process of development may lead conversion to wasteland.
(C) Land degradation is permanent or temporary decline in productive capacity of the land.
(D) Waterlogged, marshy areas and gullied lands are different types of degraded lands.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

(B), (C) and (D) only

The correct answer is Option (4) - (B), (C) and (D) only

(A) All degraded lands are wasteland: This is incorrect. Degraded lands may or may not be classified as wasteland. Wasteland refers to land that is not suitable for any productive use.

(B) All degraded lands may not be wasteland, but unchecked process of development may lead conversion to wasteland: This statement is correct. Degraded lands may still have potential for rehabilitation or reclamation, but continued degradation without proper management may lead to their classification as wasteland.

(C) Land degradation is permanent or temporary decline in productive capacity of the land: This statement is correct. Land degradation refers to the reduction of the land's capacity to support agriculture, forestry, livestock, or other productive uses, either temporarily or permanently.

(D) Waterlogged, marshy areas and gullied lands are different types of degraded lands: This statement is correct.

"Soil erosion, waterlogging, salinisation and alkalinisation of land lead to land degradation. What happens if land is consistently used without managing its fertility? Land is degraded and productivity declines. Land degradation is generally understood either as a temporary or a permanent decline in productive capacity of the land (C). Though all degraded land may not be wasteland, but unchecked process of degradation may lead to the conversion to wasteland (B). There are two processes that induce land degradation. These are natural and created by human beings.

National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) has classified wastelands by using remote sensing techniques and it is possible to categorise these wastelands according to the processes that have created them. There are a few types of wastelands such as gullied /ravinous land, desertic or coastal sands, barren rocky areas, steep sloping land, and glacial areas, which are primarily caused by natural agents. There are other types of degraded lands such as waterlogged and marshy areas, land affected by salinity and alkalinity and land with or without scrub, which have largely been caused by natural as well as human factors. There are some other types of wastelands such as degraded shifting cultivation area, degraded land under plantation crops, degraded forests, degraded pastures, and mining and industrial wastelands, are caused by human action."