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Unit 2 Part 2

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32 views8 pages

Unit 2 Part 2

Uploaded by

khannanshi
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Unit 2

1.Interrelation between natural and built environment in urban and rural settlements

2. Forest resources: Use and over-exploitation, deforestation, case studies- timber


extraction, mining, dams and their effects on forests and tribal people

3.Land and soils: formation of soils, its types, basic features and properties as related to
built environment.

4.Water and precipitation: sources of water and their degradation, water cycle,
Prevention and control of water pollution,– Water resources: Use and over-utilization of
surface and ground water, floods, drought, conflicts over water, dams-benefits and
problems Conservation & management, impact of manmade environment on water.
FOREST RESOURCES

 Forest vary in composition and diversity and can contribute substantially to the
economic development of country .

 Forests cover 31% of total land area. The world’s total forests is just over 4
Billion Ha, which corresponds to an average of 0.6 ha per capita.

 Covering the earth like a green blanket these forests not only produce
innumerable material goods, but also provide several environmental services.

 The greatest loss occurred in tropical Asia where one third of the forest
resources have been destroyed.
USES OF FORESTS

Commercial uses:

Forests provide us a large number of commercial goods which include timber, firewood,
pulpwood, food items, gum, resins, non-edible oils, rubber, fibers, lac, bamboo canes,
fodder, medicine, drugs and many more items, the total worth of which is estimated to be
more than $ 300 billion per year.

Half of the timber cut each year is used as fuel for heating and cooking. One third of the
wood harvest is used for building materials as lumber, plywood and hardwood, particle
board and chipboard. One sixth of the wood harvest is converted into pulp and used for
paper industry.
Ecological uses: While a typical tree produces commercial goods worth about $ 590 it
provides environmental services worth nearly $ 196, 250.

Reducing global warming: The main greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) is absorbed by the
forests as a raw material for photosynthesis. Thus forest canopy acts as a sink for CO2 thereby
reducing the problem of global warming caused by greenhouse gas CO2.

Wild life habitat: Forests are the homes of millions of wild animals and plants. About 7
million species are found in the tropical forests alone.

Regulation of hydrological cycle: Forested watersheds act like giant sponges, absorbing the
rainfall, slowing down the runoff and slowly releasing the water for recharge of springs.
About 50-80 %of the moisture in the air above tropical forests comes from their transpiration
which helps in bringing rains.
Soil Conservation: Forests bind the soil particles tightly in their roots and
prevent soil erosion. They also act as windbreaks.

Pollution moderators: Forests can absorb many toxic gases and can help
in keeping the air pure. They have also been reported to absorb noise and
thus help in preventing air and noise pollution.
DEFORESTATION

As per FAO estimates, the deforestation rate per unit population in India is
the lowest amongst the major tropical countries, despite the fact that we
have a huge population size and very low per capita forest area (0.075 ha
per capita).

Refer Unit 1 for deforestation


Sardar Sarovar Dam (Uprooted Forests and Tribals)
• The dam is situated on river Narmada and is spread over three states of Gujarat,
Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

• Although the project is aimed at providing irrigation water, drinking water and electricity
to the three states, the environmental impacts of the project have raised challenging
questions.
• A total of 1,44,731 ha of land will be submerged by the dam, out of which 56,547 ha is
forest land.
• A total of 573 villages are to be submerged by the Narmada Dam.

• Submergence of about 40,000 ha of forest under Narmada Sagar, 13,800 ha under Sardar
Sarovar and 2,500 ha under Omkareshwar would further create pressure on remaining
forest areas in adjoining areas.
.
• Submergence area is very rich in wildlife e.g. tigers, panthers, bears, wolves, pangolins,
hyenas, jackals, flying squirrels, antelopes, black bucks, chinkara, marsh crocodiles,
turtles etc. Many of these species are listed in schedule I & II of Wildlife Protection Act,
1972. Thus, massive loss of these wildlife species is apprehended due to the
devastation of the forest under the project

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