"AKC SCIENCE CLASSES"
CLASS 10 TH (CBSE AND MP BOARD)
CHAPTER 16
MANAGEMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
BASIC CONCEPTS
1) Natural resources are naturally occuring substances that are considered valuable in their relatively unmodified form. These are raw materials obtained or derived from nature. Our major natural resources are forests, wetlands, mangroves, minerals, wildlife, etc. Natural resources can be of two types :-
- Renewable (e.g., forests, trees, wildlife, solar energy, wind energy, tidal energy) and
- Non-renewable (e.g., minerals like coal, petroleum, natural gas, metal ores).
Renewable resources can reproduce themselves in nature and we can harvest them continuously through a sustained proper planning and management.
Non-renewable resources are mainly physical resources which are available in nature only in limited amounts and cannot be reproduced.
2) Sustainable development is the use of components of biological diversity in a way that does not interfere with the natural functioning of ecological processes. For sustainable development conservation and management of the natural resources is very necessary.
3) Ganga Action Plan is the project to clean the Ganga River. It aims to install sewage treatment plants for 27 cities at the bank of the river to handle millions of litres of sewage daily before its discharge into the river. Main pollutant are coliform group of bacteria.
4) Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) is the amount of oxygen required for biological oxidation by microbes in any unit volume of water. BOD is used as a measure of degree of water pollution and waste level.
5) Pollution is an undesirable change in the physical, chemical or biological characteristics or air, water and soil that may harmfully affect the life or create a potential hazard for any living organism.
6) Pollutants are substances which cause pollution.
7) Conservation and management of natural resources is necessary for sustainable development. The natural resources are not unlimited and the demand for the resources is increasing due to impact of rising human population. The management of natural resources required a long term perspective so that these sources last for the generations to come. The management also ensure equitable distribution of resources so that all people benefit from the development of these resources.
8) Wildlife includes naturally occurring animals as well as plants.
9) Biodiversity is the various kinds of species of organisms and their range found in a particular area. Forests have a rich biodiversity and are therefore considered as biodiversity hotspots.
10) Conservation is defined as the management, for the benefit of all life, including humans, of the biosphere so that it may yield sustainable benefit to the present generation while maintaining its potential to meet the needs and aspirations of the future generations. Preservation refers to maintaining what we have got without any development. Thus conservation includes preservation and more.
11) The stakeholders for conservation of forests are :-
- people living in and around forests and dependent on forest produce for various aspects of their lives.
- the government which owns and controls the resources of forests.
- the small and big industrialists who use forest produce but are not dependent on a forest in any one area.
- wildlife and nature enthusiasts who want to conserve nature in its pristine form.
- you and me because sustainable use of forests would ultimately be of benefit for all.
13) Incidence of poverty in a region is correlated to water scarcity in those regions.
14) Dams are large or small structures which stop the natural flow of water for the purposes of electricity generation and irrigation.
15) Narmada Bachao Andolan is a movement which is against the construction of large dams and resultant displacement of people. They have protested against increasing the dam height of the Narmada Dam (under Sardar Sarovar Project) as it will displace many people and submerge villages, agricultural land and forests.
16) Water harvesting are various processes followed in different parts of the country (and world) for conserving water and aimed at its sustainable use.
17) Coal and petroleum are non-renewable natural resources which are a major sources of energy on which the world's industries are running. These were formed from the biodegradation of the bio-mass millions of years ago. Their consumption brings about pollution and is a major cause for global warming.
18) Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the earth due to excess of green house gases like carbon dioxide in the air as a result of consumption of fossil fuels.
