UNIT -3

Natural resources
Natural resources can be defined as the resources that exist (on the planet)
independent of human actions.
These are the resources that are found in the environment and are developed without
the intervention of humans. Common examples of natural resources include air,
sunlight, water, soil, stone, plants, animals and fossil fuels.

Natural resources are naturally occurring materials that are useful to man or could be
useful under conceivable technological, economic or social circumstances or supplies
drawn from the earth, supplies such as food, building and clothing materials, fertilizers,
metals, water and geothermal power. For a long time, natural resources were the
domain of the natural sciences.

FOREST RESOURCES
Many animals need forests to live and survive. Forests are very important and
grow in many places around the world. They are an ecosystem which includes
many plants and animals. Temperature and rainfall are the two most important
things for forests.

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.

Many forest lands are used for mining, agriculture, grazing, and recreation and for
development of dams.

Ecological uses :
The ecological services provided by our forests may be summed up as follows:

Production of oxygen: The trees produce oxygen by photosynthesis which is so

vital for life on this earth. They are rightly called as earth’s lungs.

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 CO 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 hydro-logical 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 wind breaks.

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.

OVER EXPLOITATION OF FORESTS:

Excessive use of fuel wood and charcoal, expansion of urban, agricultural and
industrial areas and overgrazing have together led to over-exploitation of our
forests leading to their rapid degradation.

DEFORESTATION

Deforestation is the permanent removal of trees to make room for something

besides forest. This can include clearing the land for agriculture or grazing, or
using the timber for fuel, construction or manufacturing. Forests cover more than
30% of the Earth’s land surface, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
Major Causes of Deforestation:

(i) Shifting cultivation:

Definition: A form of agriculture where land is cleared of vegetation, cultivated for

a few years, and then abandoned for a new area to allow natural fertility
restoration.

Environmental Impact: Trees and leaves are burned, and ash is added to the soil
to increase fertility. Over time, the land loses its fertility and becomes unsuitable
for crops.

Geographic Prevalence: This practice is common in northeastern India and, to a

lesser extent, in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh.

Contribution to Deforestation: This method accounts for nearly half of the annual
forest clearing in these regions.

(ii) Mining :

Oil and mining of coal require a large amount of forest land. Construction of roads
leads to deforestation as they provide the way to remote land. The waste that
comes out from mining pollutes the environment and affects the nearby species.

(iii) Logging :

Illegal logging activities are very common that destroy the livelihoods of the
people depending on forests. Wood-based industries like paper, match-sticks,
furniture need a substantial amount of wood supply. Wood is used as fuel most
commonly and so large amount of trees are cut down for fuel supplies. Firewood
and charcoal are used as fuel.

(iv) Urbanization:

Massive destruction of forests occurs for various development projects like

hydroelectric projects, big dams, road construction, mining etc.

As the population grows, the needs of people increases which further leads to
deforestation. Forests shrink to a great extent to meet the requirements like for
construction of roads, development of houses, mineral exploitation and
expansion of industries.

(v) Forest Fires:

We lose a large number of trees each year due to fires in the forest in various
portions worldwide. This happens due to extreme summers and winters. The fire
caused, by man or nature, results in huge loss of forest cover.

(vi) Overgrazing:

The poor in the tropics mainly rely on wood as a source of fuel leading to loss of
tree cover and the cleared lands are turned into the grazing lands. Overgrazing by
the cattle leads to further degradation of these lands.
Major Consequences of Deforestation:
Deforestation has far reaching consequences, which may be outlined as follows:
It endangers numerous wildlife species by destroying their natural habitats.
Gases like methane and carbon dioxide trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere,
leading to climate changes. Trees play a role in mitigating this by absorbing
carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen and water, thus impacting global warming.
Biodiversity declines, resulting in a loss of genetic diversity.
The hydrological cycle is disrupted, affecting rainfall patterns.
Soil erosion and the depletion of soil fertility become more severe.
Deforestation causes land erosion, as trees help stabilize mountain surfaces. This
leads to a sudden rise in river water levels, which can result in flooding.
In mountainous regions, deforestation often triggers landslides.
Solution to Deforestation:
Trees play a vital role in protecting our environment in several ways so we should
protect the forest Enforce a ban on tree cutting and promote the planting of new
trees.

Implement and enforce regulations and laws at both organizational and

governmental levels to address deforestation.
 Water Resource
Water is one of the most vital sources for all living organisms. Although water is a
renewable resource, scarcity of quality water is still a big issue in many parts of
the world. We need water for various purposes such as to grow food, keep clean,
generate electricity, control fire, and most importantly to stay alive.

Types of Water Resources

Saltwater Resources:
 The planet's atmosphere is covered in saltwater. However, when it relates
to potable water sources, saltwater is actually ineffective. Desalination
plants, though they do operate, are in short supply due to the high energy
costs associated with the operation.
 Apart from spectacular ocean views, there have been saltwater
opportunities through which humans gain profit. Saltwater fish is indeed a
staple of many people's diets around the world. In addition, tidal waters
have been used to generate hydroelectric power.

Groundwater Resources:
 Of all the freshwater resources, groundwater in the water natural resources
is perhaps the most abundant. Part of the water that filters down into the
soil via layers of dirt, clay, and rock stacks to the uppermost layers,
providing water to the plants.
 This water is in the vadose region, which means it is unsaturated. Instead
of water, almost all of the pores in the vadose zone are filled with air.
 Inputs, outputs, and storage are the same for groundwater as they are for
surface water. The crucial distinction is that, due to the slow turnover rate,
groundwater storage is typically much greater (in volume) than surface
water storage in comparison to inputs.
 Because of this distinction, humans may use groundwater in an
unsustainable manner over an extended period of time without suffering
serious repercussions. Nonetheless, the average rate of drainage above a
groundwater source is the upper limit for average groundwater use during
the longer run.
Surface Water Resources:
 The water in lakes and rivers is known as surface water. Potable water,
recreation, industry, agriculture, transportation, livestock, and hydroelectric
energy are all uses for this water.
 Groundwater natural resources provide over 63 percent of the municipal
water supply. Irrigation relies on surface water for 58 percent of all its
water supply. Irrigation relies on groundwater for 58 percent of its water
system.
 Surface water systems have nearly 98 percent of the water used by
industry. As a result, maintaining and improving the surface water quality is
critical. Watershed entities track streamflow and groundwater management
on a regular basis.
 Flooding and drought conditions are predicted by monitoring streamflow.
Since surface water provides most of the water used within the United
States, water resources information and management are important. It is a
chemical, biological, and physical test that determines how acceptable the
water is.
 Electrical conductivity, temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen levels,
phosphorus levels, bacteria levels, and nitrogen levels are evaluated as
indicators of water quality.

Though earth is called the water planet as it is occupied by 75 percent of water,

this water cannot be used for domestic purposes. Ocean water is saline in nature
and is not fit for human consumption. Freshwater is just around 2.7 percent of the
total water on the earth. Issues such as global warming and perpetuating water
pollution have made a considerable amount of impact on making freshwater unfit
for human consumption.

Uses of Freshwater
Water resources are used in various fields such as agricultural, industrial,
domestic, recreational, and environmental activities. Most of the uses require
fresh water.
However, around 97 percent of the water on the earth is saltwater and only three
percent is freshwater. About two-thirds of the available freshwater is frozen in
glaciers and polar ice caps. The remaining freshwater is found underground and
a negligible portion of it is present on the ground or in the air.
The following are detailed views on how water is used in different sectors.
 Agricultural Use
Agriculture accounts for about 69 per cent of all water consumption
especially in agricultural economies like India. Agriculture thereby
becomes the largest consumer of the Earth’s available freshwater.
By 2050, the global water demand for agriculture is estimated to increase
by an additional 19% due to irrigation needs. Increasing irrigation needs
are likely to put immense pressure on water storage. It is still not
concluded whether further expansion of irrigation and additional water
withdrawals from rivers and groundwater is possible in the future.

 Industrial Use
Water is the lifesaver of the industry. It is used for various purposes such
as a raw material coolant, a solvent, a transport agent, and as a source of
energy. Manufacturing industries are considered to have a considerable
share of the total industrial water consumption. Besides, paper and allied
products, chemicals, and primary metals are major industrial users of
water. Worldwide, the industry consumes around 19 percent of total water
consumption. In industrialized countries, the industries use more than half
of the water available for human use.

 Domestic Use
It includes usages like drinking, cleaning, personal hygiene, garden care,
cooking, washing of clothes, dishes, vehicles, etc. Since the end of World
War II, there has been a trend of people migrating out of the country to the
ever-expanding cities. This trend has an important role in our water
resources.
The government and communities are in a need to provide large water-
supply systems to deliver water to new growing populations and industries.
Comparing all water consumption in the world, domestic uses about 12
percent of the total water consumed.

 Use for Hydropower Generation

Electricity generated from water is called hydropower. Hydropower is one
of the highly renewable sources of electricity in the world. It accounts for
around 16 percent of the total electricity generated globally. There are
numerous opportunities for hydropower development around the world.
At present, the leading hydropower generating countries are China, the
US, Brazil, Canada, India, and Russia.
  Use for Navigation and Recreation
Navigable waterways are defined as watercourses that can be used to
transport interstate or foreign commerce. Moving of agricultural and
commercial goods on the water is done on a large scale around various
parts of the world.
Water is also used for recreational purposes like boating, swimming, and
sporting activities. These usages affect the quality of water and pollute it.
The highest priority should be given to public health and drinking water
quality while permitting such activities in reservoirs, lakes, and rivers.

Overutilization of Surface and Groundwater

Water scarcity has become a big global issue. The UN has held several
conventions on the water in recent decades. Continuous overutilization of surface
and groundwater has led to increased water scarcity in the world today.

The depleting sources for high growth in the human population over the centuries
and increased man-made water pollution across the world have created
unforeseen water scarcity around the globe. As a result, there has been
continuous overutilization of the existing water sources due to unconditional
growth in the world population.

Groundwater is the major source of water in various parts of the world. However,
there has been continuous depletion of this source due to its overexploitation by
the rising human population and the rapid rise in industrialization and
urbanization in modern times.

Consequences of Overutilization
Water scarcity has now become a very important topic in international diplomacy.
From a small village to the United Nations, water scarcity is a widely-discussed
topic in decision-making.

Nearly three billion people around the world suffer from water scarcity.
International, intrastate and regional rivalries on the water are not new to the
world.
According to World Health Organization (WHO) sources, a combination of the
rising global population, economic growth, and climate change means that by the
year 2050, more than five billion (52%) of the world’s projected 9.7 billion people
will live in areas with freshwater scarcity. Researchers estimated that about 1
billion more people will be living in areas where water demand will exceed
surface-water supply.

Climate Change
Scientists, environmentalists, and biologists worldwide are now warning that
climate change will have a major impact on the drainage pattern and hydrological
cycle of the earth thereby affecting the surface and groundwater availability to a
new extent.
Climate change is believed to raise the global temperature at an increasing pace.
The increase in temperature affects the hydrological cycle by directly increasing
the evaporation of available surface water and vegetation transpiration.
As a result, precipitation amount, timing, and intensity rates are largely affected.
It impacts the storage of water in surface and subsurface reservoirs.

Conclusion
Water crisis is ever emerging in India and needs to be properly addressed. The
onus of conservation lies with us, the people. Understanding the concept and use
of water use, we can think of sustainable use.

Food Resources

A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the
body’-- Benjamin

Franklin Food is essential for growth and development of living organisms. These
essential materials are called nutrients and these nutrients are available from
variety of animals and plants. There are thousands of edible plants and animals
over the world, out of which only about three dozen types constitute major food
of humans.
The majority of people obtain food from cultivated plants and domesticated
animals. Although some food is obtained from oceans and fresh waters, but the
great majority of food for human population is obtained from traditional land-
based agriculture of crops and livestock.

Food Crops

It is estimated that out of about 2,50,000 species of plants, only about 3,000 have
been tried as agricultural crops. Under different agro-climatic condition, 300 are
grown for food and only 100 are used on a large scale.

Some species of crops provide food, whereas others provide commercial products
like oils, fibres, etc. Raw crops are sometimes converted into valuable edible
products by using different techniques for value addition .At global level, only 20
species of crops are used for food. These, in approximate order of importance are
wheat, rice, corn, potatoes; barley, sweet potatoes, cassavas, soybeans, oats,
sorghum, millet, sugarcane, sugar beets, rye, peanuts, field beans, chick-peas,
pigeon- peas, bananas and coconuts. Many of them are used directly, whereas
other can be used by changing them by using different techniques for enhancing
calorific value.

Livestock

Domesticated animals are an important food source. The major domesticated

animals used as food source by human beings are ‘ruminants’ (e.g. cattle, sheep,
goats, camel, reindeer, llama, etc.). Ruminants convert indigestible woody tissue
of plants (cellulose) which are earth’s most abundant organic compound into
digestible food products for human consumption. Milk, which is provided by
milking animals, is considered to be the complete food. Other domestic animals
like sheep, goat, poultry and ducker can be used as meat.

Aquaculture

Fish and seafood contributes 17 million metric tonnes of high quality protein to
provide balance diet to the world. Presently aquaculture provides only small
amounts for world food but its significance is increasing day by day.
World Food Problems

As per estimates of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), about 840 million
people remain chronically hungry and out of this 800 million are living in the
developing world. In last decade, it is decreasing at the rate of 2.5 million per
year, but at the same time world’s population is increasing. Target of cutting half
the number of world’s chronically hungry and undernourished people by 2015 will
difficult to meet, if the present trend continues. Due to inadequate purchasing
power to buy food, it is difficult to fulfil minimum calorific requirement of human
body per day. Large number of people are in India are poor which can be attribute
to equitable distribution of income. Food insufficiency can be divided into two
categories into under-nourishment and malnourishment. Both of these
insufficiencies are global problems.

Under-nourishment

The FAO estimates that the average minimum daily caloric intake over the whole
world is about 2,500 calories per day. People who receive less than 90% of their
minimum dietary intake on a long-term basis are considered undernourished.
Those who receive less than 80% of their minimum daily caloric intake
requirements are considered ‘seriously’ undernourished. Children in this category
are likely to suffer from stunted growth, mental retardation, and other social and
developmental disorders. Therefore, Under-nourishment means lack of sufficient
calories in available food, resulting in little or no ability to move or work.

Malnourishment

Person may have excess food but still diet suffers from due to nutritional
imbalance or inability to absorb or may have problem to utilize essential
nutrients. If we compare diet of the developed countries with developing
countries people in developed countries have processed food which may be
deficient in fibre, vitamins and other components where as in the diet of
developing countries, may be lack of specific nutrients because they consume less
meat ,fruits and vegetables due to poor purchasing power
Malnourishment can be defined as lack of specific components of food such as
proteins, vitamins, or essential chemical elements.

The major problems of malnutrition are:

Marasmus: a progressive emaciation caused by lack of protein and calories.

Kwashiarkor: a lack of sufficient protein in the diet which leads to a failure of
neural development and therefore learning disabilities.

Anemia: it is caused by lack of iron in the diet or due to an inability to absorb

iron from food.

Pellagra: it occurs due to the deficiency of tryptophan and lysine, vitamins in

thediet

Every year, food problem kill as many people as were killed by the atomic bomb
dropped on Hiroshima during World War II. This shows that there is drastic need
to increase food production, equitably distribute it and also to control population
growth. Although India is the third largest producer of staple crops, it is estimated
that about 300 million Indians are still undernourished. India has only half as
much land as USA, but it has nearly three times population to feed. Our food
problems are directly related to population.

Balanced diet

Supply of adequate amount of different nutrient can help to improve malnutrition

and its ill effects. Cereals like wheat and rice can supply only carbohydrate which
are rich in energy supply, are only fraction of nutrition requirement. Cereal diet
has to be supplemented with other food that can supply fat, protein and minor
quantity of minerals and vitamins. Balanced diet will help to improve growth and
health.

Changes Caused by Agriculture and Overgrazing

From centuries, agriculture is providing inputs to large number of industries

involved in production, processing and distribution of food. Accordingly,
agriculture has significant effect on environment. The effects of agriculture on
environment can be classified as local, regional, and global level. The agriculture
also makes impact on the usage of land generally as follows:

1. Deforestation

2. Soil Erosion

3. Depletion of nutrients

4. Impact related to high yielding varieties (HYV)

5. Fertilizers related problems include micronutrient imbalance, nitrite pollution

and eutrophication.

6. Pesticide related problems include creating resistance in pests and producing

new pests, death of non-target organisms, biological magnification.

7. Some other problems include water logging, salinity problems and such others.

The carrying capacity of land for cattle depends upon micro climate and soil
fertility. If carrying capacity is exceeded than land is overgrazed. Because of
overgrazing the agricultural land gets affected as follows,

1. Reduction in growth and diversity of plant species

2. Reduce plant cover leads to increased soil erosion

3. Cattle trampling leads to land degradation

Effects of Modern

Agriculture For sustainable production modern techniques are used to enhance

productivity of different cropping systems under different agro-eco-zones.
Adoption of modern agricultural practises has both positive and negative effects
on environment. Effects of modern agriculture are briefly discussed under
different heads as under:

Soil erosion
Raindrops bombarding bare soil result in the oldest and still most serious problem
of agriculture. The long history of soil erosion and its impact on civilization is one
of devastation. Eroded fields record our failure as land stewards.

Irrigation

Adequate rainfall is never guaranteed for the dry land farmer in arid and semiarid
regions, and thus irrigation is essential for reliable production. Irrigation ensures
sufficient water when needed and also allows farmers to expand their acreage of
suitable cropland. In fact, we rely heavily on crops from irrigated lands, with fully
onethird of the world's harvest coming from that 17% of cropland that is under
irrigation. Unfortunately, current irrigation practices severely damage the
cropland and the aquatic systems from which the water is withdrawn.

Agriculture and the loss of genetic diversity

As modern agriculture converts an ever-increasing portion of the earth's land

surface to monoculture, the genetic and ecological diversity of the planet erodes.
Both the conversion of diverse natural ecosystems to new agricultural lands and
the narrowing of the genetic diversity of crops contribute to this erosion.

Fertilizer-pesticide problems

For photosynthesis apart from water, sunshine and CO2, plants need micro and
macro nutrients for growth. These nutrients are supplied in the shape of
fertilizers. There is lot of potential to increase food productivity by increasing
fertilizer use. On one hand application of artificial chemical fertilizers increases
the productivity at faster rate as compare to organic fertilizers, on the other hand
application of fertilizers can be a serious problem of pollution and can create
number of problems. Excessive level of nitrates in ground water has created
problems in developed countries. These are: a. Accumulated phosphorous as a
consequence of use of phosphoric fertilizer are posing serious threat as residues
in domestic water supply and for ecology of river and other water bodies.
Increased level of phosphates in different water results in eutropication. b. Effect
of chemical fertilizer is long term, therefore leads to net loss of soil organic
matter.
To control insects, pests, diseases and weeds which are responsible for reduction
in productivity different chemicals are used as insecticides, pesticides and
herbicides. Successful control of insects, pests and weeds increases productivity
and reduces losses and provide security for harvest and storage. Applications of
these synthetic chemicals have great economic values and at the same time cause
number of serious problems such as:

 Affects human health which includes acute poisoning and illness caused by
higher doses and accidental exposes
 As long term effect, cause cancer, birth defects, Parkinson’s disease and
other regenerative diseases.
 Long term application of pesticides can affect soil fertility
 Danger of killing beneficial predators
 Pesticides resistance and pest resurgence

Water Logging

High water table or surface flooding can cause water logging

problems .Water logging may lead to poor crop productivity due to
anaerobic condition created in the soil. In India, deltas of Ganga, Andaman
and Nicobar Islands and some areas of Kerala are prone to frequent water
logging.

Salinity
Due to adoption of intensive agriculture practices and increased
concentration of soluble salts leads to salinity. Due to poor drainage,
dissolved salts accumulate on soil surface and affects soil fertility. Excess
concentration of these salts may form a crust on the surface which may
injurious to the plants. The water absorption process is affected and uptake
of nutrient is disturbed. According to an estimate, in India, 7 million hectare
of land is saline and area is showing in increasing trends due to adoption of
intensive agriculture practices.