NATURAL

RESOURCES
 CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
DEFINATION AND MEANING
CLASSIFICATION OF RESOURCES
NATURAL RESOURCES AND ASSOCIATED
PROBLEMS
FOREST RESOURCES, ENERGY RESOURCES.
CONSERVATION (INDIVIDUAL ROLE)
EQUITABLE USE OF NATURAL RESOURCES FOR
SUSTAINABLE RESOURCES
 INTRODUCTION

Earth is the only planet in our solar system, which

supports life. The environment consists of artificial and
natural component. The natural components of the
environment like air, water, land, soil, plants,
animals, fossil fuel and minerals are called natural
resources.
 These resources are taken as a gift of nature to human
being. Mankind used these natural resources for their
prosperity and survival.
All these mentioned above are natural and they exists in
nature. No human created them. We tap into their supply
to survive and also to function properly.
Natural resources are all connected in a way,
therefore if one is taken away, it will affect the supply
or quality of all others.
For example, if water is eliminated from the area, the
vegetation, soils, animals and even the air in that
area will be affected negatively.
Below is a simple illustration of some great things that we get from
some natural resources.
 DEFINATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES

 NATURAL RESOURCES ARE MATERIALS OR

SUBSTANCES OCCURING IN NATURE WHICH
CAN BE EXPLOITED FOR ECONOMIC GAIN.

 NATURAL RESOURCES ARE RESOURCES THAT

EXIST WITHOUT ACTION OF HUMANKIND.

 NATURAL RESOURCES ARE USEFUL RAW

MATERIALS THAT WE GET FROM EARTH.
 RENEWABLE RESOURCES BRIEF

 Renewable resources

Renewable resources are those that are constantly available (like water) or
can be reasonably replaced or recovered, like vegetative lands. Animals are
also renewable because with a bit of care, they can reproduce offspring's to
replace adult animals. Even though some renewable resources can be
replaced, they may take many years and that does not make them renewable.

If renewable resources come from living things, (such as trees and animals)
they can be called organic renewable resources.

If renewable resources come from non-living things, (such as water, sun and
wind) they can be called inorganic renewable resources.
 NON- RENEWABLE RESOURCES BRIEF

 Non-renewable resources

Non-renewable resources are those that cannot easily be replaced once they are
destroyed. Examples include fossil fuels. Minerals are also non-renewable
because even though they form naturally in a process called the rock cycle, it can
take thousands of years, making it non-renewable. Some animals can also be
considered non-renewable, because if people hunt for a particular species without
ensuring their reproduction, they will be extinct. This is why we must ensure that
we protect resources that are endangered.

Non-renewable resources can be called inorganic resources if they come from

non-living things. Examples include minerals, wind, land, soil and rocks.

Some non-renewable resources come from living things — such as fossil fuels.
They can be called organic non-renewable resources.
 METALLIC ,NON- METALLIC BRIEF

Inorganic resources may be metallic or non-metallic.

Metallic minerals are those that have metals in
them. They are harder, shiny, and can be melted
to form new products. Examples are silver, gold,
iron, copper and tin.
Non-metallic minerals have no metals in them.
They are softer and do not shine. Examples
include clay, mica, salt, granite and coal.
 LIST OF RENEWABLE AND NON RENEWABLE

Renewable resources : Non renewable :

1) Solar energy (sun) 1) Fossil fuel

2) Geothermal energy  Coal
(earth)  Petroleum (oil)
3) Wind energy  Natural gas etc..
(Windmill)
4) Tidal energy (tide)
5) Biomass (plants)
 USES OF FORESTS RESOURCES

 LOCAL CONSUMPTIVE USE

 PRODUCTIVE OR MARKET USE
 ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
 OTHER USES
 LOCAL CONSUMPTIVE USE

 Food like roots, fruits, tubers, fish, mushrooms,

animals, meat etc.
 Fodder for cattle.
 Fuel wood (eg. cooking purposes)
 Construction materials
 Fibre for weaving basket, ropes, net, mats.
 Medicinal plants for treating common diseases
 PRODUCTIVE OR MARKET USE

 Timber – Wood used for commercial purposes like

for making furniture and other items like boats,
bridges and other day to day uses.
 Fruits, fibre, honey, gum.
 Cane and Bamboo products
 Raw material for wood based industries- forest
provide raw materials for various wood based
industries like paper and pulp, sports goods,
furniture's, match boxes etc.
 Ecosystem Services

 Atmospheric and climatic regulation.

 Erosion control
 Floods and draught control
 Forests provide protection against soil erosion,
droughts, floods, noise, radiations.
 Reduction of GLOBAL WARMING.
 OTHERS USES

 Conservation of soil- They prevent soil erosion by

binding the soil particles tightly in their roots.
 Improvement in fertility of soil
 Habitat to wild life
 Absorption of air pollutants
 Accessory function – education, recreation,
research, perfumes etc…
 DEFORESTATION – CAUSES AND EFFECTS

Forests are exploited since early times for humans to

meet human demand. The permanent destruction of
forests is called DEFORESTATION.
CAUSES OF DEFORESTATION –
 Population explosion
 Growing food demand
 Fire wood
 Raw material for food based industry
 Infrastructure development
 Overgrazing and Natural forces
 EFFECTS OF DEFORESTATION

 SOIL EROSION
 EXPANSIION OF DESERTS
 LOSS OF FERTILE LAND
 EXPANSION OF DESERTS
 DECREASE IN RAINFALL
 EFFECT ON CLIMATE
 LOSS OF BIO-DIVERSITY
 ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES
 TIMBER EXTRACTION

Timber is one of the most important forest products

and, technically, it is possible to manage sustainable
extraction without compromising environmental
values. In reality, however, there are very few
practical examples of such management around the
world. Integrating timber and conservation
management is one of the great challenges for
tropical forest protection on a large scale.
 Logging for valuable timber such as teak and
mahogany not only involves a few large trees per
hectare but about a dozen more trees since they are
strongly interlocked with each other by vines etc.
  Also road construction for making approach to
the trees causes further damage to the forests.
  In India, firewood demand would continue to rise
in future mostly consumed in rural areas, where
alternative sources of energy, are yet to reach.
 CONSERVATION

John f. Kennedy interpreted conservation as “the wise

use of our natural environment, the prevention of
waste and despoilment while preserving, improving
and renewing the quality and usefulness of all
resources.”
“Careful and rational use of resources and their
preservation from careless exploitation and
destruction.” - H.Robinson
 WHY CONSERVATION

 To maintain stock of resources for future generations

 To maintain the economic development
 To avoid shortages of certain important resources
 To maintain the ecological balance and to control
environmental problems.
 To disturb resources in rational way.
 EQUITABLE USE OF NATURAL RESOURCES FOR
SUSTAINBLE LIFESTYLE

A major step of an individual towards conservation is adopting

sustainable lifestyles. Sustainable living means changing our
lifestyle there by meeting present ecological, societal, and
economical needs without compromising these factors for
future generations.
 In the light of self- defeating current mode of development
and recurrent natural calamities, people urge to ponder over
faults, shortcomings, lacunae, discrepancies and limitations of
the ongoing developmental process and production system.
This becomes important as the scarcity of resources is the
burning problem of modern technology. We should conserve
natural resources so that it may yield sustainable benefit to the
present generation.