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LAND, SOIL, WATER, NATURAL VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES 13

Do you know?
It takes hundreds
of years to make
just one centimetre
of soil.
Fig. 2.4: Factors affecting soil formation
Glossary
Weathering
The breaking
up and decay of
exposed rocks,
by temperature
changes, frost
action, plants,
animals and man.
SOIL
The thin layer of grainy substance covering the surface
of the earth is called soil. It is closely linked to land.
Landforms determine the type of soil. Soil is made
up of organic matter, minerals and weathered rocks
found on the earth. This happens through the process
of weathering. The right mix of minerals and organic
matter make the soil fertile.
Fig. 2.3: Soil Profile
FACTORS OF SOIL FORMATION
The major factors of soil formation are the nature of the
parent rock and climatic factors. Other factors are the
topography, role of organic material and time taken for
the composition of soil formation. All these differ from
place to place.
Climate
Temperature,
Rainfall influence
rate of weathering
and humus
Time
Determines thickness
of soil profile
Soil
Flora, Fauna and
Micro-organism
Affect the rate of humus
formation
Relief
Altitude and
slope, determine
accumulation
of soil
Parent Rock
Determines colour,
texture, chemical
properties
mineral, content,
permeability
Top soil with humus and
vegetation
Sub soil with sand, silt and
clay
Weathered rock material
Parent rock

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14 RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT
DEGRADATION OF SOIL AND CONSERVATION
MEASURES
Soil erosion and depletion are the major threats to soil
as a resource. Both human and natural factors can
lead to degradation of soils. Factors which lead to soil
degradation are deforestation, overgrazing, overuse of
chemical feritilisers or pesticides, rain wash, landslides
and floods.
Some methods of soil conservation are
Mulching: The bare ground between plants is covered
with a layer of organic matter like straw. It helps to
retain soil moisture.
Contour barriers: Stones, grass, soil are used to build
barriers along contours. Trenches are made in front of
the barriers to collect water.
Rock dam: Rocks are piled up to slow down the flow of
water. This prevents gullies and further soil loss.
Fig 2.5: Terrace Farming Fig 2.6: Contour Ploughing
Activity
In India soils
could be alluvial,
black, red, laterite,
desertic and
mountain soil.
Collect a handful
of different types
of soil and observe
how they are
different?
Terrace farming: These are made on the steep
slopes so that flat surfaces are available to grow
crops. They can reduce surface run-off and soil
erosion (Fig. 2.5).
Intercropping: Different crops are grown in alternate
rows and are sown at different times to protect the
soil from rain wash.
Contour ploughing: Ploughing parallel to the
contours of a hill slope to form a natural barrier
for water to flow down the slope (Fig. 2.6).
Shelter belts: In the coastal and dry regions, rows
of trees are planted to check the wind movement to
protect soil cover (Fig. 2.7).
Fig 2.7: Shelter Belts

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LAND, SOIL, WATER, NATURAL VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES 15
WATER
Water is a vital renewable natural resource. Threefourth’s
of the earth’s surface is covered with water.
It is therefore appropriately called the ‘water planet’.
It was in the primitive oceans that life began almost
3.5 billion years back. Even today, the oceans cover
two-thirds of the earth’s surface and support a rich
variety of plant and animal life. The ocean water is
however saline and not fit for human consumption.
Fresh water accounts for only about 2.7 per cent. Nearly
70 per cent of this occurs as ice sheets and glaciers in
Antarctica, Greenland and mountain regions. Due to
their location they are inaccessible. Only 1 per cent of
freshwater is available and fit for human use. It is found
as ground water, as surface water in rivers and lakes
and as water vapour in the atmosphere.
Fresh water is therefore, the most precious substance
on earth. Water can neither be added nor subtracted
from the earth. Its total volume remains constant.
Its abundance only seems to vary because it is in
constant motion, cycling through the oceans, the
air, the land and back again, through the processes
of evaporation, precipitation and run-off. This as
you already know is referred to as the ‘water cycle’.
Do you know?
In 1975, the
consumption of
water for human
use was 3850cu
km/year. It soared
to more than 6000
cu km/year in the
year 2000.
Activity
Take two trays A and B of same
size. Make six holes in the end
of these trays and then fill
them with the same amount
of soil. Leave the soil in tray A
bare while grow grass in tray B.
When the grass in tray B has
grown few centimetres high,
place both the trays in such a
way that they are on a slope.
Pour one mug of water from the
same height into trays. Collect
the muddy water that trickles
down the holes of both trays
in two separate containers
and compare how much soil
is washed out of each tray?
Do you know?
A dripping tap
wastes1200
litres in a year.
AB

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16 RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT
Humans use huge amounts of water not only for
drinking and washing but also in the process of
production. Water for agriculture, industries,
generating electricity
through reservoirs of
dams are the other
usages. Increasing
population, rising
demands for food and
cash crops, increasing
urbanisation and rising
standards of living
are the major factors
leading to shortages in
supply of fresh water
either due to drying
up of water sources or
water pollution.
PROBLEMS OF WATER AVAILABILITY
There is scarcity of water in many regions of the world.
Most of Africa, West Asia, South Asia, parts of western
USA, north-west Mexico, parts of South America and
entire Australia are facing shortages in fresh water supply.
Countries located in climatic zones most susceptible to
droughts face great problems of water scarcity. Thus, water
shortage may be a consequence of variation in seasonal
or annual precipitation or the scarcity is caused by overexploitation
and contamination of water sources.
CONSERVATION OF WATER
RESOURCES
Access to clean and adequate water
sources is a major problem facing the
world today. Steps have to be taken to
conserve this dwindling resource. Even
though water is a renewable resource, its
overuse and pollution make it unfit for
use. Discharge of untreated or partially
treated sewage, agricultural chemicals
and industrial effluents in water bodies
are major contaminants. They pollute
water with nitrates, metals and pesticides.
Do you know?
Have you ever
heard about a water
market? Amreli
city in Saurastra
region with a
population of 1.25
lakhs is completely
dependent on
purchasing water
from the nearby
talukas.
Activity
An average urban Indian uses about 135 litres
of water every day.
Use Litres per person per day
Drinking 3
Cooking 4
Bathing 20
Flushing 40
Washing clothes 40
Washing utensils 20
Gardening 23
Total 135
Can you suggest some ways to bring down this use?
Fig 2.8: Yamuna is getting polluted due to
sewage, industrial effluents and garbage

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LAND, SOIL, WATER, NATURAL VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES 17
Most of these chemicals being non-biodegradable reach
human bodies through water. Water pollution can be
controlled by treating these effluents suitably before
releasing them in water bodies.
Forest and other vegetation cover slow the
surface runoff and replenish underground
water. Water harvesting is another method
to save surface runoff. Water is used for
irrigating fields. The canals should be
properly lined to minimise losses by water
seepage. Sprinklers effectively irrigate the
area by checking water losses through
seepage and evaporation. In dry regions
with high rates of evaporation, drip or
trickle irrigation is very useful. The valuable
water resource can therefore be conserved
by adopting these means of conservation.
NATURAL VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE
Some school children were visiting an exhibition on
handicrafts. The articles in the exhibition were collected
from different parts of the country. Mona picked up a bag
and exclaimed, “This is a beautiful handbag!” “Yes, it
is made from Jute,” the teacher said. “Do you see those
baskets, lamp shades and chairs? Those are made of
canes and bamboos. In the eastern and north eastern
humid regions of India, bamboo grows in plenty.” Jassy
was excited to see a silk scarf. “See this beautiful
scarf”. The teacher explained that silk is obtained from
silk worms that are bred on Mulberry trees. The children
understood that plants provide us with many different
products that we use in our day-to-day life.
Natural vegetation and wildlife exist only
in the narrow zone of contact between the
lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere that
we call biosphere. In the biosphere living beings
are inter-related and interdependent on each
other for survival. This life supporting system
is known as the ecosystem. Vegetation and
wildlife are valuable resources. Plants provide
us with timber, give shelter to animals, produce
oxygen we breathe, protects soils so essential
for growing crops, act as shelter belts, help in
Do you know?
Rain water
harvesting is
the process of
collecting rain
water from roof
tops and directing
it to an appropriate
location and
storing if for
future use. On an
average, one spell
of rain for two
hours is enough to
save 8,000 litres of
water.
Fig 2.10: Silk Worms
Fig 2.9: A Water Sprinkler
Fig 2.11: Brahma Kamal
a Medicinal Herb
Fig 2.12: A Blue Kingfisher
Fig. 2.13: Grassland and Forest

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LAND, SOIL, WATER, NATURAL VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES 19
leaves have thorny and waxy surface to
reduce loss of moisture by transpiration.
Tundra vegetation of cold Polar Regions
comprise of mosses and lichens.
Forests are broadly classified as
evergreen and deciduous depending
on when they shed their leaves.
Evergreen forests do not shed their
leaves simultaneously in any season
of the year. Deciduous forests shed
their leaves in a particular season
to conserve loss of moisture through
transpiration. These forests are
further classified as tropical or
temperate based on their
location in different latitudes.
You have learnt in detail about
the various forest types, their
distribution and the associated
animal life in the previous class.
Today there are many more
people in the world than there
were two centuries back. To feed
the growing numbers, large areas
of forests have been cleared to
grow crops. Forest cover all over
the world is vanishing rapidly.
There is an urgent need to
conserve this valuable resource.
CONSERVATION OF NATURAL
VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE
Forests are our wealth. Plants give shelter to
the animals and together they maintain the
ecosystem. Changes of climate and human
interferences can cause the loss of natural
habitats for the plants and animals. Many
species have become vulnerable or
endangered and some are on the verge
of extinction. Deforestation, soil erosion,
constructional activities, forest fires,
tsunami and landslides are some of the
human made and natural factors which
Fig. 2.14: A Python in a forest
Fig. 2.15: A collage of a forest made by school students
Fig. 2.16: Loss of rainforest in
Great Nicobar after Tsunami

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20 RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT
together accelerate the process of extinction
of these great natural resources. One of the
major concerns is the increasing incidents
of poaching that result in a sharp decline
in the number of particular species. The
animals are poached for collection and illegal
trade of hides, skins, nails, teeth, horns
as well as feathers. Some of these animals
are tiger, lion, elephant, deer, black buck,
crocodile, rhinoceros, snow leopard, ostrich
and peacock. These can be conserved by
Fig. 2.17: Black buck also needs protection increasing awareness.
Forest Fire
Activity
Read the news item and find out how fire started in California ? Could it be avoided?
Know More
Forest fire is a threat to entire region of fauna and flora. It occurs mainly due to three
reasons.
1. Natural fire due to lightening etc.
2. Fire due to heat generated in the litter due to carelessness of people.
3. Purposely caused fire by local inhabitants.
Some Control Measures
1. Prevention of human-caused fires through education.
2. Prompt detection of fires through well co-ordinated network of obsevation points,
efficient ground patroling and communication network.

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LAND, SOIL, WATER, NATURAL VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES 21
Glossary
Biosphere reserves
Series of protected
areas linked
through a global
network, intended
to demonstrate
the relationship
between
conservation and
development.
Glossary
National Park
A natural area
designated to
protect the
ecological integrity
of one or more
ecosystems for
present and future
generations
Do you know?
CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between
governments. It aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of
wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Roughly 5,000
species of animals and 28,000 species of plants are protected. Bears,
dolphins, cacti, corals, orchids and aloes are some examples.
National parks, wildlife sanctuaries, biosphere
reserves are made to protect our natural vegetation and
wildlife. Conservation of creeks, lakes, and wetlands is
necessary to save the precious resource from depletion
There is a balance in the environment if the relative
number of species is not disturbed. Human activities
in several parts of the world have disturbed the natural
habitats of many species. Due to indiscriminate killings,
several birds and animals have either become extinct or
are on the verge of extinction.
Awareness programmes like social forestry and
Vanamohatasava should be encouraged at the regional
and community level. School children should
be encouraged for bird watching and visiting
nature camps so that they appreciate the
habitat of varied species.
Many countries have passed laws
declaring that the trades as well as killing of
birds and animals are illegal. In India, killing
of lions, tigers, deers, great Indian bustards
and peacocks have been banned
An international convention CITES has been
established that lists several species of animals
and birds in
which trade
is prohibited.
Conservation
of plants and
animals is an
ethical duty of
every citizen.
Fig. 2:18: Herd of Cheetals
Fig. 2:19: Elephant herd in Kaziranga
National Park

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22 RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT
Exercises
1. Answer the following questions.
(i) Which are the two main climatic factors responsible for soil formation?
(ii) Write any two reasons for land degradation today.
(iii) Why is land considered an important resource?
(iv) Name any two steps that government has taken to conserve plants
and animals.
(v) Suggest three ways to conserve water.
2. Tick the correct answer.
(i) Which one of the following is NOT a factor of soil formation?
(a) time (b) soil texture (c) organic matter
(ii) Which one of the following methods is most appropriate to check
soil erosion on steep slopes?
(a) shelter belts (b) mulching (c) terrace cultivation
(iii) Which one of the following is NOT in favour of the conservation
of nature?
(a) switch off the bulb when not in use
(b) close the tap immediately after using
(c) dispose polypacks after shopping
3. Match the followings.
(i) Land use (a) prevent soil erosion
(ii) Humus (b) land suitable for agriculture
(iii) Rock dams (c) productive use of land
(iv) Arable land (d) organic matter deposited on top soil
(e) contour ploughing
4. State whether the given statement is true or false.
If true, write the reasons.
(i) Ganga–Brahmaputra plain of India is an overpopulated region.
(ii) Water availability per person in India is declining.
(iii) Rows of trees planted in the coastal areas to check the wind
movement is called intercropping.
(iv) Human interference and changes of climate can maintain the
ecosystem.
5. Activity
Discuss some more reasons which are responsible for changes of land use
pattern. Has your place undergone any change in the land use pattern?

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LAND, SOIL, WATER, NATURAL VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES 23
Find out from your parents and elderly people. You can conduct an interview by
asking the following questions.
Place When your
grand
parent’s were
in their 30’s
When your
parents were
in their 30’s
Why do you
think this is
happening?
Are common
areas and
open spaces
disappearing?
Rural
Number of
cattle and
poultry owned
Number of
trees and
ponds in the
village
Main
occupation of
the head of
the family
Urban
Number of
cars owned
Number of
rooms in the
house
Number of
metalled
roads
Number of
flyovers in the
city
Number of
parks and
playgrounds
Based on the table you have just completed, draw a picture of land use patterns
that you foresee in your neighbourhood after 20 years. Why do you thi