Natural resources :-

Natural resources are the resources available in a nature like air, water, sunlight, soil, minerals, forests, wild life etc. Natural resources are of two main types. They are renewable and non renewable natural resources. i) Renewable natural resources :- Are the resources which can be replenished in a short period of time like air, water, sunlight, forests etc. ii) Non renewable natural resources :- Are the resources which cannot be replenished in a short period of time like minerals (coal, petroleum, natural gas, metals etc.) because they take millions of years to be formed. Human activities produce a lot of waste materials which are thrown away into the environment. These wastes cause pollution of natural resources like air, water and soil.

NATURAL RESOURCES

The Three R’s to save the environment :- The three R’s to save the environment are Reduce, Recycle and Reuse. i) Reduce :- means using less of natural resources and avoiding wastage of natural resources.ii) Recycle :- means the materials like paper, plastic, glass, metals etc. used for making things can again be used for making new things instead of synthesising or extracting new paper, plastic, glass or metals.iii) Reuse :- means using things again and again like the plastic bottles in which we buy jams, pickles etc can be again used for storing things in the kitchen. RECYLED PAPER ARTICLES

Need for management of natural resources :- All the things we use and consume are obtained from natural resources. Due to increase in population, industrialisation and urbanisation the demand for natural resources is increasing and their availability is limited . So there is a need for proper management of natural resources. The proper management of natural resources consists of :- i) Judicious use of natural resources and avoiding wastage of natural resources. ii) Long term planning for the use of natural resources so that it last not only for the present but also for future generations.iii) The exploitation of natural resources should not be for the benefit of a few people but should be distributed equally for all.iv) While extracting and using natural resources we should also plan for the safe disposal of wastes so that no damage is caused to the environment.

The management of natural resources requires1. a long-term perspective so that these will last

for the generations to come and will not merely be exploited to the hilt for short term gains.

2. This management should also ensure equitable distribution of resources so that all, and not just a handful of rich and powerful people, benefit from the development of these resources.

Why do you think there should be equitable distribution of resources?  

Natural resources of the Earth must be distributed among the people uniformly so that each and every

one gets his share of the resource.Human greed, corruption, and the lobby of the rich and powerful are

the forces working against an equitable distribution of resources.

 

Forests :- Importance of forests :- i) Forests help to preserve biodiversity. ii) Forests are natural habitats of plants and animals. iii) Forests provide timber, wood, fuel, medicines, fodder, etc. iv) Forests help to maintain ecological balance. v) Forests help to control climate and rainfall. vi) Forests help to prevent soil erosion and controls floods.vii) Forests help to maintain the oxygen – carbon dioxide balance in nature.

Stake holders of forests

• People who are associated with forests directly or indirectly are :-

• i) People living in and around forests depend on forests for their livelihood.

• ii) Industrialists who use the raw materials from forests for manufacturing paper, medicines, furniture etc.

• iii) Forest Department of the Government who owns the forests and controls the resources from the forests.

• iv) Nature and wild life organisations who want to conserve and preserve forests.

The local people need large quantities of firewood, small timber and thatch. Bamboo is used to make slats for huts, and baskets for collecting and storing food materials. Implements for agriculture, fishing and hunting are largely made of wood, also forests are sites for fishing and hunting. In addition to people gathering fruits, nuts and medicines fromthe forests, their cattle also graze in forest areasor feed on other fodder which is collected fromforests.

People living in and around forests

Industries would consider the forest as merely a source of rawmaterial for its factories. And huge interest-groups lobby the government for access to these raw materials at artificially low rates. Since these industries have a greater reach than the local people, they are not interested in the sustainability of the forest in one particular area.

For example, after cutting down all the teak trees in one area, they will get their teak from a forest farther away. They do not have any stake in ensuring that one particular area should yield on optimal amount of some produce for all generations to come.

Industrialists who use the raw materials from forests

•Before the British came and took over most of our forest areas, people had been living in these forests for centuries. •They had developed practices to ensure that the resources were used in a sustainable manner. After the British took control of the forests (which they exploited ruthlessly for their own purposes), these people were forced to depend on much smaller areas and forest resources started becoming over-exploited to some extent.•The Forest Department in independent India took over from the British but local knowledge and local needs continued to be ignored in the management practices.• Thus vast tracts of forests have been converted to monocultures of pine, teak or eucalyptus. In order to plant these trees, huge areas are first cleared of all vegetation. This destroys a large amount of biodiversity in the area.

Case study of peoples participation in conservation of forest

• In 1731 , the king of jodhapur in rajasthan asked one of his ministers to arrange wood for constructing a new palace the ministers & workers went to forest near avillage , inhabited by Bishnois, to cut down trees

• The Bishnoi community known for its peaceful co – existance with nature

• A Bishnoi women Amrita devi showed courage by hugging a tree & daring kings men to cut her first before cutting the tree

• The tree mattered much more to her than her own life • The king’s men cut down the tree along with Amrita Devi.Her

three daughters & & hundreds of other Bishnois followed her & they lost their live saving trees

• The government of INDIA has recently instituted the Amrita Devi bishnoi Wild life protection award for individuals or communities from rural area that have shown extraordinary courage dedication in protecting wild life

Amrita Devi bishnoi Wild life protection award

Joint forest management• There are many instances of strong protests by the

local people against misuse and over-exploitation of forest  

• In Chipko Andolan(which originated in the Reni village of Garhwal), thevillagers used to hug the forest trees and prevent their mass felling by thecontactors.

•  • The local people use the forest resources without

destroying the trees.•  • Destruction of forests affects the soil quality and

water sources, inaddition to reduced availability of forest resources

•  • Combined working of the Forest Department with

the local people can ensure the protection and sustainability of forests.

•  • By actively involving the villagers in the

management of the Arabariforest range, the West Bengal Forest Department was able to revive thedegraded Sal forests of the region.

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People's participation in the management of forests

• People's participation in the management of forests can help in increasing forest produce as well as in their conservation. An example of how local people's participation in the management of forests led to the revival of degraded forests is like this: In 1972, the West Bengal Forest Department formulated a novel scheme to revive the degraded sal forests by involving the local people.

• A beginning was made in the Arabari forest range of Midnapore district. A far-sighted forest officer A.K. Banerjee involved the villagers If the area around the forest in the protection of 1272 hectares of badly degraded sal forest. In return for help in protecting the forest, the villagers were given employment in both silviculture and harvesting operations of the forest, 25 per cent of the final harvest produce, and were allowed to collect firewood and fodder from the forest area on a nominal payment.

• With the active and willing participation of local people living around the forest, the degraded sal forest of Arabari became thick and green within ten pars. This is how participation of local people can lead to efficient management of forests.

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c) Conservation of forests :- Forests can be conserved by :- i) Afforestation – planting of more trees. ii) Preventing or reducing deforestation.iii) Preventing over grazing by cattle.iv) By setting up wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, biosphere reserves etc. v) Undertaking social forestry programs like Van Mahotsav, Chipko movement for planting and protecting trees on a large scale.

Wildlife :-Importance of wildlife :- i) Wildlife helps to preserve biodiversity. ii) Wild life helps to maintain food chains and food web.iii) We get useful products from wild life like food, medicines, leather, bones, honey, lac etc.

Conservation of wildlife :- i) Preserving the natural habitats of animals. ii) Banning poaching of animals.iii) Protecting endangered species of animals.iv) Setting up of wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, biosphere reserves etc.

Dams :- Advantages of dams :- i) Irrigation of crops. ii) Producing electricity.iii) Supplying water to towns and cities.iv) To control floods..

Uses of water

• Water is a basic necessity for all living things. We use water for our daily needs, for agriculture, transportation, construction of buildings, roads, dams etc. Water is a natural habitat for aquatic organisms.

• Human activities are affecting the availability of water and causing pollution of water bodies

Disadvantages of dams i) Social problems :- It displaces a large

number of people who have to be rehabilitated.

• ii) Economic problems :- It is expensive and uses a huge amount of public money.

• iii) Environmental problems :- It causes deforestation and loss of biodiversity

Reasons for the loss of underground water availability

• Rains in India are largely due to the monsoons. This means that most of the rain falls in a few months of the year. Despite nature’s monsoon bounty, failure to sustain water availability underground has resulted largely from the

• loss of vegetation cover• Diversion for high water demanding crops, • Pollution from industrial effluents and

urban wastes.

DAMS

Water harvesting (Rain water harvesting) :- Water harvesting is collecting and storing rain water for future use. The common methods of water harvesting are :- i) Digging pits, ponds, lakes etc. ii) Building small earthen dams or concrete check dams.iii) Construction of dykes.iv) Construction of reservoirs. v) Construction of rooftop collecting units in houses.

Advantages of underground water :- i) It does not evaporate easily. ii) It spreads out and recharges wells.iii) It provides moisture for irrigation of crops.iv) It does not get polluted easily.v) It does not provide breeding ground for mosquitoes and houseflies.

• Irrigation methods like dams, tanks and canals have been used in various parts of India since ancient times. These were generally local interventions managed by local people and assured that the basic minimum requirements for both agriculture and daily needs were met throughout the year.

• The use of this stored water was strictly regulated and the optimum cropping patterns based on the water availability were arrived at on the basis of decades/centuries of experience, the maintenance of these irrigation systems was also a local affair

The arrival of the British changed these systems as it changed many other things. The conception of large scale projects – large dams and canals traversing large distances were first conceived and implemented by the British

• These mega-projects led to the neglect of the local irrigation methods, and the government

also increasingly took over the administration of these systems leading to the loss of control over the local water sources by the local people.

Different methods of water harvesting

RAINWATER HARVESTING

Traditional water harvesting system — an ideal setting of the khadin system

Water harvesting systems• Water harvesting is an age-old concept in India. • Khadins, tanks and nadis in Rajasthan, • bandharas and tals in Maharashtra, • Bundhis in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh• Ahars and pynes in Bihar• kulhs in Himachal Pradesh• Ponds in the Kandi belt of Jammu region• Eris (tanks) in Tamil Nadu• surangams in Kerala, • kattas in Karnataka are some of the ancient water

harvesting,

Watershed management & its aim• watershed management is a scientific way of developing primary and

secondary sources of water .Its main aim is to develop primary sources of land and water and use scientific methods to increase the biomass production as secondary sources so that no ecological imbalance occurs.They work on rejuvenating ancient and traditional way of water storage along with mega- projects like dams and reservoir

Coal and petroleum :- Coal and petroleum are fossil fuels formed by the decomposition of dead plants and animals inside the earth after several millions of years. They are non renewable sources of energy. Petroleum reserves may last for about 40 years and coal reserves may last for about 200 years. Coal and petroleum contain carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulphur. When they are burnt, they release carbon dioxide and oxides of nitrogen and sulphur. Carbon dioxide is a green house gas which causes global warming. Oxides of nitrogen and sulphur combines with moisture in the air and produces acid rain.

MELTING OF POLAR ICE RISE IN SEA LEVELS

simple choices can make a difference in our energy consumption

• environment-friendliness of the following –• (i) Taking a bus, using your personal vehicle

or walking/cycling.• (ii) Using bulbs or fluorescent tubes in your

homes.• (iii) Using the lift or taking the stairs.• (iv) Wearing an extra sweater or using a

heating device (heater or ‘sigri’) on cold days

Advantages of sustainable natural resource management

• .It is controlling the use of resources in such a way so as to provide for its equitable and continuous availability not only to the present generation without any harmful impact on the environment.Four advantages:Equitable distribution, controlled exploitation,minimum wastage,disposal of waste