Natural Resources

 

NATURAL RESOURCES

            The things available in nature, on them man is dependant for his livehood are called natural resources.

            Natural resources includes two parts

            1. Abiotic part

            2. Biotic part

1. Abiotic or Non living part of Nature:

            It includes air, water, soil minerals, climate and solar energy.

2. Biotic or living part of Nature:

It includes plant and animals includes microbes.

            Plant and animals can survive as communities of different organisms.

All are closely linked to each in their own habitat and require specific abiotic conditions.

Earth’s Resources and Man

            The resources on which mankind is dependent are provided by 4 kinds of spheres.

1. Atmosphere:

            It forms a protective shell over the earth.  The lowest layer is called troposphere, 12km thick, the only part warm enough for us to survive in.  The stratosphere is 50 km thick, contains a layer of sulphates which is important for the formation of rain.  It also contains ozone which absorbs ultraviolet light, known to cause cancer.  The atmosphere is not uniformly warmed by the sun.  This leads to air flows and variations in climate, temperature and rainfall in different parts of earth.

·        It supplies oxygen for respiration.

·        Provides carbon dioxide for photosynthesis.

·        Climate, weather and seasons are produced on which living organisms depends.

2. Hydrosphere:

            The hydrosphere covers ¾ of earth’s surface.  A major part of the hydrosphere is the marine ecosystem, but a small part is fresh water.

·        Water is the medium for aquatic organisms

·        Water is useful for drinking and other uses like agriculture, industry etc.

·        Water which is a universal solvent dissolves all minerals which enables the living system to make use of them

3. Lithosphere : It is the parental rock of earth

            It began as a hot ball of matter which formed the earth about 4.6 billion years ago.  The earth cooled down and life began on our planet about 3.2 billon years ago.  The crust of the earth is 6-7 km thick and lies under the continent.  Of the 92 elements in the lithosphere, only 8 are common constituents of crusted rocks, of these 47% is oxygen, 28% is silicon, 8% is aluminium and 5% is iron, but sodium, magnesium, potassium and calcium constitute 4% each.

4. Biosphere:

It is the thin layer of earth in which life can exist.  Within it the air, water, rocks and soil and the living creatures form structural and functional ecological units.

Natural cycles between the spheres:

            All these 4 spheres are closely interlinked system, and dependent on the integrity of each other.  The links between them are mainly in the form of cycles.  For eg, the atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere are all connected through the hydrological cycle.  The water evaporating from the hydrosphere forms clouds in the atmosphere. On condensing, this rain, which acts on rocks, as an agent of erosion and over millions of years created soil, on which plant life grows.  All the living organisms which exist on earth live only in layer of lithosphere and hydrosphere that is present on the surface of land and in the water.

Natural resources

            Natural resources are the land, water, forest and hills, wild life and minerals.  These resources can be broadly divided into two kinds:

1. Renewable resources

2. Non renewable resources

Renewable resources:

            These resources are inexhaustive and can be regenerated from time to time Land resources, Water resources, foresee, wild life, plants, marine products, wind energy, hydroelectric power, solar energy, etc.

Non Renewable resources:

            These resources can not be regenerated (eg) coal, petroleum, minerals.

 

FOREST RESOURCES:

            Forests are very important natural resources. They are supplying goods like wood, vegetables fruits and also provides essential environmental services essential for life.  Forest constitute about 1/3 of the total area resource of  a country. Forests, abode for wild life and numerous species of plant & kingdom.  India had 33% of its land under forest but now we have about 12%

Forest functions:

            1. Water shed protection

            Reducing the rate of surface run off water preventing flood and soil erosion

            2. Atmospheric regulation

            Absorption of solar heat during evapo transpiration.

·        Maintaining carbon dioxide levels for plant growth

·        Maintaining local climatic conditions.

            3. Local use

·        Food – gathering plants, fishing, hunting from the forest

·        Fodder for cattle

·        Fuel wood and charcoal for cooking and heating

·        Poles for building homes

·        Timber for house hold articles and construction

·        Fiber for weaving baskets, ropes, nets etc

·        Medicinal plants for traditional medicines

Deforestation

            Deforestation is the removal of trees and other plants from the surface area of earth

Forests is destroyed due to

·        Shifting cultivation

·        development projects

·        fuel wood requirement

·        growing food needs, ‘Industrial demant of wood’

Effects of deforestation

            Extinction of wild life, climate variation, soil erosion, change in atmosphere.

Afforestation

            Regeneration of forests and growing new tree to make new forest land from infertile and barren land,

Chipko movement

            Started in Garwar region by the women to stop deforestation.  The main aim was to make the people realisze the importance of forests and safe guarding trees.  Sundarlal Baghuguna under took padayatra to a distance of 4870 km from khasmir to kohina.

            Appiko movement was an off shoot of The chipko movement.

 

WATER RESOURCES

 

            Water occupies 70% of earth’s surface and the amount of water is 1400 cubic meter.  97% of this water is in ocean and saline.  Only 3% of total water is fresh water and of this 80% exists as snow in polar regions and only 20% is available for human consumption.

Characteristics of water

            Water exists as liquid between 0’c and 110’c water freezes into icc, floats on the surface.  Water has high surface tension.

Animal and plants have 60% of water in their bodies

Water is called “elixir of life”

Uses of water

·        Water is used for drinking, cooking, irrigation, washing, transportation and waste disposal.

·        Throughout the world, 70% of water is used fro agricultural purposes

·        25% of freshwater is used in industries

·        only 5% of freshwater is available for human consumption

·        In India 90% of its water for agriculture, 7% for industry and 3% for domestic use.

 

According to WHO, 1.5 million people of the developing countries get unsafe water.

80% of the diseases and deaths are due to impure water.

80% of the diseases are water borne.

 

Over use of Water

            Over use of ground water and surface water has resulted in decrease in ground water.  Over exploitation of ground water leads to drying of wells as well as lowering of water table.  Over withdrawl of ground water leads to land subsidence.

 

Floods

            Prolonged rain causes breaches in lakes; Deforestation, rapid industrialization, global warming are some of the reasons for ‘floods’.  About one million people died on 1970 and more than a lakh people perished in the flood of 1991.

            Afforestation, installing flood warning systems and incorporating flood management systems are the measures of reduce the damage due to flood.

Droughts

            It happens due to absence of rain fall, reduction in the amount of ground water, dry conditions in the rivers, ponds and wells

Remedial measures:

·        Scientific and judicious use of ground water

·        Improving and maintaining water storage system

·        Encouraging social forestry

Sustainable water management

·        Building small reservoirs

·        Developing small catchments systems

·        Soil management, afforestation for recharging of underground aquifers

·        Treating recycling municipal waste water for agricultural use

·        Preventing loss in municipal pipes.

·        Effective rain water harvesting

·        Water conservation in Agriculture

Dams

            There are more than 45,000 large dams around the world

Current estimates suggests that about 30-40% irrigation depends on dams

            China and India build around 57% of world’s large dams

 

Problems caused by dams

·        Water logging

·        Salinization of surrounding ponds

·        Dislodging animal population

·        Disruption of fishing and water way traffic

·        Emission of green house gases from reservoir due to rotting vegetation

MINERAL RESOURCES

A mineral is naturally occurring substances of definite chemical composition and indentifiable physical properties.

An ore is a mineral or combination of minerals from which useful substance.

Terrestrial mineral resources:

            Ores of iron, aluminium zinc, manganese silver, gold and copper are important ores available in larger quantities under earth’s surface.

Marine Mineral resources:

            Minerals are available in sea water, sea beds coal, salt, clay, cement and silica are important Non Metallic resources.

            Diamonds, Emeralds and rubies are minerals with special properties that of human value for their aesthetic and ornamental value.

            Oil, gas, and coal were formed when ancient plants and animals, were converted into fossil fuels.

            Minerals are procured from mines.

            Mines are two types surface minerals and deep mines.

            Mining operations are considered as one of the main sources of environmental degradation.

Uses of minerals:

·        In the form of fertilizers, insecticides in agriculture

·        In medicine as chemicals

·        In communication and transport

·        In industry in the form of machines and accessories

·        In defense as arms and ammunition