NATURAL RESOURCES

One Earth
 Natural Resources
• Natural resources are naturally occurring substances that are
considered valuable in their relatively unmodified (natural) form. A
natural resource’s value rests in the amount of the
material available and the demand for it.
• The natural resources include water, air, soil, minerals,
coal, forests, crops and wildlife
a) Renewable resource or inexhaustible resources. The renewable resources can maintain
themselves or can be replaced if managed wisely. These resources are constantly renewed in
nature. The renewable resources are therefore not likely to be lost due to excessive and unwise
use.
b) Non-renewable resources or exhaustible resources: These resources once used are lost
forever, as they are not restored. They include metallic minerals and fossil fuels. At current
rates of usage, all the industrial metals may lose for less than a century and those of petroleum
and natural gas may exhaust in 15-20 years.
 Natural Resources and Associated Problems
Forest resources and associated problems
1. Use and over-exploitation.
2. Deforestation.
3. Timber extraction.
4. Mining and its effects on forest.
5. Dams and their effects on forests and tribal people.
Water resources and associated problems
1. Use and overutilization of water.
2. Floods, droughts etc.
3. Conflicts over water.
4. Dams and problems.
Mineral resource and associated problems
1. Use and exploitation.
2. Environmental effects of extracting and using minerals.
 Natural Resources and Associated Problems
Food resources and associated problems
1. World food problems.
2. Changes caused by agriculture and over grazing.
3. Effects of modern agriculture.
4. Fertilizer-pesticide problems.
5. Water logging and salinity.
Energy resources and associated problems
1. Growing energy needs.
Land resources and associated problems
1. Land degradation.
2. Man-induced landslides.
3. Soil erosion and desertification.
Natural Resource Depletion
 FOREST RESOURCES
• Forests are vital natural resources and a crucial part of the biosphere.
• They cover approximately 1/3 of the earth’s land area.
• Ecologically, forests act as the earth's lungs by absorbing CO₂ and
releasing O₂.
• They play a key role in reducing global warming, maintaining the
hydrological cycle, and preventing soil erosion.
• Forest ecosystems are excellent at retaining water.
• Economically, forests provide timber, fodder, firewood, bamboo,
rubber, medicines, and food.
 USES OF FOREST
1. Watershed protection:
• Reduce the rate of surface run-off of water.
• Prevent flash floods and soil erosion.
• Produces prolonged gradual run-off and thus prevent effects of drought.
2. Atmospheric regulation:
• Absorption of solar heat during evapo-transpiration.
• Maintaining carbon dioxide levels for plant growth.
• Maintaining the local climatic conditions.
3. Erosion control:
• Holding soil (by preventing rain from directly washing soil away).
4. Land bank:
• Maintenance of soil nutrients and structure.
 USES OF FOREST
5. Local use - Consumption of forest produce by local people who collect it for subsistence –
(Consumptive use)
• Food - gathering plants, fishing, hunting from the forest. (In the past when wildlife was Plentiful,
people could hunt and kill animals for food. Now those populations of most Wildlife species have
diminished; continued hunting would lead to extinction.)
• Fodder - for cattle.
• Fuel wood and charcoal for cooking, heating.
• Poles - building homes especially in rural and wilderness areas.
• Timber – household articles and construction.
• Fiber - weaving of baskets, ropes, nets, string, etc.
• Sericulture – for silk.
• Apiculture - bees for honey, forest bees also pollinate crops.
• Medicinal plants - traditionally used medicines, investigating them as potential Source for new
modern drugs
 USES OF FOREST
6. Market use - (Productive use)
• Most of the above products used for consumptive purposes are also
sold as source of income for supporting the livelihoods of forest
dwelling people.
• Minor forest produce - (non-wood products): Fuel wood, fruit, gum,
fiber, etc. which are collected and sold in local markets as a source of
income for forest dwellers.
• Major timber extraction - construction, industrial uses, paper pulp, etc.
Timber extraction is done in India by the Forest Department, but illegal
logging continues in many of the forests of India and the world.
 OVER EXPLOITATION OF FORESTS
Exploitation of forest has taken place to meet human demands in the following
ways:
- Due to wood cutting and large scale logging for raw materials like timber,
pulp wood, fuel wood etc
- Deforestation due to road construction
- Clearing of forest to create more agricultural lands to meet the food needs of
growing population
- Encroachment of forests leading to destruction of about 19.57 lakh hectares
(2013)of forest in the country
- About 78% of forest area is under heavy grazing
- Mining activities leads to clearing of forests
- Big hydro electric projects result in large scale destruction of forest
 OVER EXPLOITATION OF FORESTS
In India, Joint forest management has come up as innovative approach involving
community participation so that the rural economy is strengthened as well as forest
resources are conserved through public involvement.
• West Bengal: Arabari Forest Range: This is arguably the most famous case
study. The involvement of local communities led to significant forest regeneration
and improved livelihoods.
• Uttarakhand: Several districts in Uttarakhand have witnessed successful JFM
initiatives. The state's hilly terrain and dependence on forests make it a suitable
region for such programs.
• Himachal Pradesh: Known for its rich forest cover, Himachal Pradesh has
successfully implemented JFM in many areas. The state's emphasis on eco-
tourism and sustainable development has contributed to the success of these
initiatives.
 WATER RESOURCES
Water resources are sources of water that are useful or potentially
useful. Uses of water include agricultural, industrial, household,
recreational and environmental activities. Virtually all of these human
uses require fresh water.

97% of the water on the Earth is salt water. Only three percent is fresh
water; slightly over two thirds of this is frozen in glaciers and polar ice.
The remaining unfrozen freshwater is found mainly as groundwater,
with only a small fraction present above ground or in the air
 WATER RESOURCES
USES OF WATER:
1. DOMESTIC USE: Water used in the houses for the purposes of drinking, bathing,
• washing Clothes, cooking, sanitary & other needs. The recommended value according
to
• Indian standard specification for domestic use is 135 liters/day
2. INDUSTRIAL USE: Water is required for various industries such as cement, mining,
• textile, leather industries.
3. PUBLIC USE: This includes water used for public utility purpose such as watering
parks,
• Flushing streets, jails etc.
4. FIRE USE: Water is used in case of accidents and to prevent the fire issues.
5. IRRIGATION: To grow crops which is the main sources for food?
6. OTHER USES: Hydro electric power generation requires water.
 OVER UTILIZATION OF GROUND WATER AND SURFACE WATER

1. Lowering of water table: Excessive use of ground water for drinking, irrigation
and Domestic purposes has resulted in rapid depletion of ground water in various
regions leading to lowering of water table & drying of wells.
The reasons for shortage of water are:
• a. Increase in population,
• b. Increasing demand of water for various purposes.
• c. Unequal distribution of fresh water.
• d. Increasing pollution of water sources cause over exploitation.
 OVER UTILIZATION OF GROUND WATER AND SURFACE WATER

2. Ground subsidence: When ground water withdrawal is greater than its recharge
rate, the sediments in the aquifer become compacted. This is called ground
subsidence which may cause damage of buildings, destroy water supply systems etc.
3. Drought. A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region
notes a deficiency in its water supply whether surface or underground water.
Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average
precipitation.
We can define drought in four main ways:
a) Meteorological drought: related to rainfall amounts
b) Hydrological drought: determined by water levels in reservoirs
c) Agricultural drought: related to the availability of water for crops
d) Socioeconomic Drought: related to demand and supply of economic goods
Natural Resource Depletion
How Western Countries are Exploiting Natural Resources?