environmental resources
TRANSCRIPT
Natural Resources
Natural resources are the substances which are inherent to earth and
obtained from nature and utilized to create products and services which
are useful for human beings. Forests, water, air, soil , etc. are natural
resources.
Renewable and Non Renewable Natural Resources
The resources that can be harvested continuously with proper
planning and management are called renewable resources. Example:
plants, animals, solar energy , wind energy, etc.
Non Renewable resources are natural resources which are limited in
supply and cannot be replenished by natural means. Once exhausted,
they have very little chance of recovery or resynthesis. Coal, minerals,
petroleum, etc. are Non Renewable resources.
Chief Natural Resources
Forests Resources
Water Resources
Land Resources
Mineral Resources
Energy Resources
Food Resources
Forest Resources
A forest , a biotic community with
predominance of trees is an important
Renewable natural resource.
Benefits of Forests
Protective FunctionForest Provide protection against Soil erosion, Droughts, floods, noise, radiations
Productive FunctionForest Provide various products like, gum resins, medicines, Katha, honey, pulp, bamboo, timber, and fruits
Regulative FunctionThe Forest regulates the level of Oxygen and carbon dioxide in atmosphere. The forests also help in regulating temperature conditions
Accessory Function Forest provides aesthetics, habitat to various flora and fauna besides that it also has an recreational value
Deforestation
Deforestation is removal or reduction in forest cover. •Encroachment of forest land for agricultural purposes•Expansion of cities.•Construction of dams, canals and highways•Establishment of industrial areas•Demand for firewood•Mining•Shifting Cultivation•Forest Fires
Effects of Deforestation
Large scale of destruction of forests leads to a number of adverse environmental effects.
•Loss of natural habitat of wild animals and plants•Increased intensity and frequency of natural disasters•Land Degradation•Loss of forest products•Change in climatic conditions•Siltation of rivers and canals•Loss of revenue•Change in water cycle and reduced rainfall•Increase socio economic problems
Aquifer
An aquifer is an underground layer of water bearing permeable
rock or unconsolidated materials from which ground water can be
usefully extracted using water well. Aquifers
are of two kinds :
Confined Aquifer
An aquifer which is sandwiched between two layers of less
permeable materials.
Unconfined Aquifer
Aquifers having water table in it are called unconfined aquifers.
Effects of Over Utilization of Ground water
Sharp decline in water table
Loss of vegetation and wildlife habitat.
Water logging and salinity problems.
Ground subsidence.
Floods
Floods refers to the presence of unusually large amount of
water at any place or more water that can be handled by the
drainage of the area. The various types of floods are
Flash Floods
River floods
Coastal Floods
Drought
A drought is a condition in which a region suffers from a severe scarcity in its water availability.
The various kinds of drought are
Meteorological Drought
Hydrological Drought
Agricultural Drought
What do dams provide ?
Electricity
Irrigation
Navigation
Flood Control
Beautiful landscape
Demands for drinking and other consumption needs
Disadvantages of Dams
Deforestation and loss of biodiversity
Sinking of agricultural and forest land
Displacement of tribals from their home land
Growth of aquatic weeds
Siltation of reservoirs due to degraded catchment conditions
Increase in water borne and soil borne diseases
Increase flash floods
Increased water logging and salinity
Emissions of greenhouse gases
Mineral Resources
Minerals are naturally occurring chemical compounds, which are formed through inorganic processes under the crust of the earth.
Minerals are non-renewable resources
Environmental Effect of Extraction and over Exploitation of Mineral Resources
Destruction of forest
Soil erosion and reduces soil fertility.
Generation of large amount of wastes
Pollution of air, water and land.
Mining lowers water table
Occurrence of Earthquakes and volcanic events
Occupational health hazards
Emission of radioactive pollutants, ash and trace metals.
Food Resources
Natural or artificially produced materials, which are used as food to
derive metabolic energy, are called as food resources.
World Food Problems
Insufficient production
Lack of irrigation facility
Under nutrition and malnutrition Hoarding and black-marketing
Causes of Food Problems
Increased Population
Unfavorable Climatic Conditions
Adverse geographical Conditions
Infertile soil
Disasters such as Floods, drought, earthquakes, storms, etc.
Starvation and malnutrition
Lack of transportation
High cost of grains
Insufficient distribution system
Environmental Effects of Modern Agriculture
Soil Erosion
Change in Land use Patterns
Water Logging and Salinity
Impact of Chemical Fertilizers and Pesticides
Water and Land Pollution
Loss of genetic Diversity
Sustainable Agriculturehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npdd6DV0t7s
Energy Resources
All living creatures on the earth, either it is a plant, an animal or a
microbe need energy to perform their vital functions. The earth is
a storehouse of energy. The fossil fuels under its surface, the wind
and water on its surface, the plants growing on it, the sunlight
falling upon it, these are all sources of energy.
Renewable Sources of Energy Non Renewable Sources of Energy
Solar Energy Coal
Wind Energy Natural Gas and Oil
Tidal Energy Nuclear Energy
Geothermal Energy
Biomass Based Energy
Land resources
‘The solid portion of the earth’s surface’.
The science dealing with land is known as pedology .
Land Degradation
The fertility of land supports the growth and productivity of
natural vegetation and agricultural crops. A number of
natural and man-made factors lower the quality of land. This
is commonly referred to as land degradation.
Causes of land degradation
•Heavy rains•High speed wind and storms•Natural disasters like earthquakes ,floods, prolonged drought, etc.•Overgrazing, soil erosion ,etc.. •Mining.•Urbanization•The indiscriminate and uncontrolled removal of trees•Excess use of fertilizers•industrial discharges
Soil Erosion
Soil erosion is removal of top soil from its resting place by various
physical agencies like wind and water. It can be defined as “the
detachment and transport of the fertile layer of soil by water or
air.” It is also known as the creeping death of land.
Causes of Soil Erosion
Large scale deforestation
Floods
Overgrazing
Large Violent Winds
Improper agricultural techniques
Strip croppingContour bunding
Terracing
Methods to control Soil Erosion
Afforestation
Construction of small check dams
Methods for conservation of natural resource, and control 1Establishment of organizations.2Create Act/Rules3Public Awareness4Use of 3R System5Use of scientific methods and Technology.6Follow the Disaster Management system.
Role of an Individual in Conservation of Natural Resources
Use recyclable resources like reuse paper page and encourage recycling.
Use alternative energy sources such as solar energy for domestic heating
Make equitable use of water for personal and domestic purposes.
Through better use and maintenance of non-maintainable resource.
Prefer to use renewable and non-conventional energy sources.