Chapter 1

Resources and Development

Resources Substances available in our environment that can be used for specific purposes and are technologically accessible, economically viable and culturally acceptable are referred to as resources.

Classification of Resources Resources can be classified on the basis of

Origin: Biotic and abiotic

Exhaustibility: Renewable and non-renewable

Ownership: Individual, community-owned, national and international

Status of Development: Potential, developed and stock

Biotic Resources: Having life

Tree Human Birds Fish Animal

Abiotic Resources: Non-living

Stones Water Mountains

Renewable Resources: Can be reproduced or replenished

Solar energy Wind energy Forest Water

Non-renewable Resources: Cannot be reproduced or replenished. They take millions

of years to form.

E.g. Metals, fossils fuels, minerals etc.

Coal Petrol

Individual Resources

Privately owned by individuals

E.g. Individual ownership of land in the form of houses and agricultural fields

Community-Owned Resources

Accessible to all members of a community

E.g. Village ponds, public parks, burial grounds etc.

National Resources

Those resources that exist within the territory of a nation.

All minerals, water bodies, forests, wildlife etc. within the country and within 12 nautical miles from the sea coast are called national resources.

International Resources

Those oceanic resources that do not lie within the Exclusive Economic Zone of any nation.

They are managed by international institutions and each country has an equal right to access these resources.

Potential Resources

Though they are in existence, they are not being completely utilized.

E.g. Potential of wind and solar energy in Rajasthan

Developed Resources

Those resources that have been surveyed and are ready for utilization.

Stock

Resources that exist but have not been utilized owing to lack of technical expertise.

E.g. Making hydrogen and oxygen from water

Reserves

They are those resources for whose utilization man has the technical know-how but has not started using them.

E.g. Use of river water for generating electricity

Problems Related to Resources

Depletion of resources due to over-utilization.

Accumulation in few hands.

Indiscriminate exploitation of resources resulting in ecological imbalances.

Sustainable Development It refers to that development which is lasting enough to be used by the future generations. Development should be such that it does not compromise with the needs of the coming generations.

Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, 1992

United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED)

Held at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

First ever International Earth Summit.

Aimed at addressing the problem of environmental degradation and finding ways of protecting the environment.

The declaration on global climatic change and biodiversity was signed.

The Global Forest Principles were adopted.

AGENDA 21 was formulated.

Aims at achieving global sustainable development.

For combating environmental damage, poverty and diseases through global

cooperation.

Every country is supposed to formulate its own Agenda 21.

Resource Planning

It is necessary for making maximum utilization of the available resources.

It involves

Identification of resources through surveys, mapping and measurement.

Evolving a structure for utilizing resources by means of appropriate technology and skills.

Synchronizing the resource development plans with the national

development goals.

Resource planning in India is done through the Five Year Plans.

Conservation of Resources

Resources need to be conserved as they are vital for development.

Over-utilization and irrational consumption of resources creates ecological

imbalance.

Brundtland Commission Report of 1987 introduced the concept of ‘Sustainable Development’ that focused on the conservation of resources for the future.

Land Resources

Land is the basic natural resource on which all other resources exist.

India’s total land area: 3.28 million sq. km.

Plains: 43%

Mountains: 30%

Plateaus: 27%

Uses of Land

Forests

Net sown area

Pastures

Housing

Roads

Barren and waste land

Culturable waste land

Fallow land

Area under miscellaneous trees, crops and groves

National Forest Policy (1932) envisages 33% of the land area under forests in India. However, it is only 22%.

Land Degradation

Causes

Deforestation

Over-grazing

Mining and quarrying

Over-irrigation

Mineral processing

Industrial effluents

Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa are the states where deforestation, owing to mining activities, has resulted in the degradation of land.

In Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra, the main cause of land degradation is over-grazing.

Methods for Stopping Land Degradation

Afforestation

Proper management of grazing

Stabilization of sand dunes

Control of mining activities

Proper discharge of industrial effluents

Soil

Soil is a renewable natural resource.

It takes millions of years to form.

It is formed by the action of temperature, running water, wind and glaciers.

Soil Erosion The washing away of the top layer of soil by the action of wind and water is called soil erosion.

Soil formation and soil erosion are simultaneous processes and a balance exists between the two.

Activities such as

Deforestation

Over-grazing

Mining

Construction

Increase the rate of soil erosion and disturb the natural balance.

Gully Erosion and Badlands

Deep channels called gullies are formed when fast running water cuts through the soft clayey soil making deep ravines.

This type of land becomes unfit for cultivation and is called badland.

E.g. Chambal basin in Madhya Pradesh

Sheet Erosion: It is caused when water flows as a sheet down a slope and washes-off the top layer of soil. Winds can also blow-off the top layer of soil.

Methods of Soil Conservation

Ploughing along the contour lines of slopes

Terrace farming

Planting strips of grass between crops restricts the flow of water and breaks wind speed. This is called strip cropping.

Planting lines of trees creates a shelter from the fast moving winds and prevents erosion. These are called shelter beds.

Students’ Contribution to Revision Notes

Land Degradation Land degradation is a human induced or natural process which negatively affects the land to function effectively with in an ecosystem, by accepting, storing and recycling water, energy and nutrients.

– Contributed by: Garima Dhirayan