UNIT-III

NATURAL
RESOURCES

Forest

Resources
Water Resources
Mineral Resources
Food Resources
Energy resources
Land resources

Definition :
Natural

resources are things that are found

in nature that are useful to people

Natural resources are classified

into two types.

1.Renewable resources
2.Non-renewable resources

1.Renewable resources which can be regenerated

within a span of a time
Ex: soil,water,air, wildlife, natural vegetation
The renewable resources are further sub classified
into two types:
a)Continuous resources:
Ex: solar energy, wind, tidal energy
b)Extrinsic resources:
Ex: human skills, institutions, management abilities.

2.Non-renewable resources
Cannot

be regenerated
Ex: minerals, coal, oil, natural gas, ground
water.

FOREST RESOURCES
Forest

are one of the most important renewable

natural resources on this earth.

Types
1.
2.
3.

of forests:

Evergreen forests
Deciduous forests.
Coniferous forests.

1. Evergreen forests
ex: the silent valley in Kerala
Important trees- Teal, rosewood.
2. Deciduous forests
a) Tropical deciduous forests teak, sandalwood.
b) Temperature deciduous forests
3. Coniferous forests
Ex: pine tree, spruce tree.

Functions of forests
1.Forests perform very important functions both to
humans and to nature.
2.habitats- plants, animals, and wildlife.
3. Recycle rainwater and remove pollutants from
air.
4. Control water quality and quantity.
5.Moderate temperature and weather and maintain
humidity.

Uses (or) Benefits of forests

Fuel
Raw

materials as pulp, paper, board, timber

etc.,
Gums, resins, dyes ,etc.,
Medicines and drugs.
Honey, ivory.
Mining, grazing, dams

Ecological uses
Production
Reducing
Soil

of oxygen

global warming

conservation

Regulation
Pollution
Wildlife

of hydrological cycle

moderators

habitat

Aesthetic value
Bamboo
Plants

food.

mats, baskets, cots, etc.,

fruits, leaves, seeds, roots are used as

Medicines
Aromatic

cooking.

, alcoholic drinks.

oils and other oils used for lighting and

Touristic value
Ecotourism

provides a growing income for

those who have facilitated it. Several countries
are now attracting the tourists.

OVER EXPLOITATION OF FOREST

Reason for over exploitation in India
Causes for over exploitation
a) increasing agricultural production
b) increasing industrial activities
c) increasing demand of wood resources.

DEFORESTATION
Definition:

Deforestation is the process of removal of

(or) elimination of forest resources due to many
natural or man-made activities. In general
deforestation means destruction of forests.

Causes of Deforestation
Developmental

projects.
i) Through submergence of forest area
underwater
ii) Destruction of forest area
Examples: big-dams, hydroelectric projects, road
construction etc.

 Mining

operations
EX: Mica, coal, manganese, limestone.
Raw materials for industries
Ex: boxes, furniture's, plywood, matchboxes, pulp,.
Fuel requirements
Shifting cultivation
Forest fires

Effects of deforestation on the

environment
Global warming

Loss of genetic diversity

Soil erosion

Loss of biodiversity

Loss of food grains

Unemployment problems

Flood and landslides

Conservation of forests
New

plants of more or replace the existing trees.

Wood use fuel ,should be discouraged
Spraying pesticides
Forest fire must be controlled by modern
techniques
Over grazing by cattle must be controlled
Education and awareness programmes must be
conducted
Strict implementation of law

CASE STUDIES
Timber

Extraction

Mining
Dams

and Their effects on forests and tribal

people

Uses of timber
Timber

raw materials, pulp, paper, furniture, etc

Timber developmental activities, railways, boats,
road construction.
Effects of timber extraction
Deforestation
Soil erosion, loss of fertility, landslides, and loss of
biodiversity
Tribal culture
Reduces thickness of forest

Mining
Types of mining
Surface

mining-shallow deposits
Underground mining-

Steps involved in mining

Exploration
Development
Exploitation
Ore

processing
Extraction and purification of minerals

Effects of mining
Mining

activity- destroy trees, pollutes soil,

water, air.
Destruction of natural habitat at the mine and
disposal sites.
Noise pollution is the another major problem
from mining operations.
Mining reduces the shape and size of the
forest areas.

Dams and their effects on forest

and tribal people
Dams

are the massive artificial structures

built across the river to create a reservoir inorder to store water for many beneficial
purpose.
Effects of dam on forest
Thousands of hectares
Residential accommodation

WATER RESOURCES
Water

is an important component of all the

living beings.
Nearly 80% of earth surface is covered with
water
All organisms are made up of mostly by
water
Example: Tree, Animals

Hydrological cycle
Evaporation
Condensation

and precipitation

Transpiration

and respiration

Distribution of water resources

Found

97.4% water in oceans and is too salty

and cannot be used for drinking, irrigation,
industrial purposes.
Remaining 2.6% of fresh water , most of which is
licked up in ice or in deep ground water.
Thus only about 0.014% of the earths total
volume of water is easily available to us as usable
ground water

Types of fresh water resources

Fresh

water resources may be classified into

two types.
1.surface water
a) standing water bodies: Lakes, reservoirs,
estuaries.
b) flowing water bodies: Streams, rivers.
2.under ground water.

Surface water
The

water , which is coming out directly

through precipitation and does not percolate
down into the ground or does not return to
the atmosphere by evaporation is known as
surface water.
Or
The water stored on the surface of earth is
called surface water.

Uses of water-different types

Consumptive

use- here water is completely

utilized and it is not reused
Example : industry and irrigation

Non

consumptive use water is not

completely utilized and it is used.
Example: hydropower plant.

Other important uses of water

Drinking,

cooking, bathing, and washing, etc.,

Hotels, theatres, educational institutions,
offices,etc.,
Irrigation,aggriculture
Industrial operations
All the living organisms

Over utilization of water

(surface and ground water
The

rapid increase in population and industrial

growth have increased the demand for water
resources
Effects on over utilization of water

Decrease of ground water

Ground subsidence
Lowering of water table
Intrusion of salt water
Earthquake and landslides
Drying up of wells
Pollution of water

floods
A flood

is an overflow of water , whenever the

magnitude of flow of water exceeds the
carrying capacity of the channel within its
banks.
Causes of floods
Heavy rainfall, melting of snow, sudden
release of water from dams.
Over flowing of lakes and rivers

Effect of floods
Due

to flood, water spreads in the surrounding

areas and submerges them
Due to floods the plain surface have become
eroded and silted with mud and sand, thus the
cultivable land areas gets affected.
Flood management
Controlled

by dams or reservoirs
Channel management and embankments also control the
floods.
Flood hazard may also be reduced by forecasting or flood
warning.

drought
Drought

is nothing but scarcity of water,

which occurs due to inadequate, late arrival
of rains and excessive withdrawal of ground
water.

Types of drought
Meteorological
Hydrological
Agricultural

drought

drought

drought

Socio-economic

drought

Causes of drought
When

annual rainfall is below normal and

less than evaporation, drought is created.
High population is also another cause for
drought
Deforestation leads to desertification and
drought too. when the trees are cut, the soil is
subject to erosion by heavy rains, winds and
sun.

Effects of drought
Drought

causes hunger, malnutrition and scarcity of

drinking water and also changes the quality of water.
The drought indicates the worst situation and
initiation of desertification.
Drought also accelerates degradation of natural
resources.
Drought leads to large migration of people and
urbanization.

Conflicts over water

Water

is so essential for our existence and is

fast becoming a scarce resource.
Freshwater is considered to be the most
environmental issue of this century.
Nearly 1.2 billion people do not have access
to safe drinking water

Causes of water conflicts

Conflict

through use
a) international conflicts
India-pakistan->Indus
Mexico- USA->Colorado river
Iran iraq -> Shatt-al- Arab water.
India- Bangladesh-> Bhramaputra river.

 b)

National conflicts
Sharing of Cauvery water- Karnataka&
Tamil nadu.
Sharing of Krishna water- Karnataka &
Andhra Predesh.
Sharing of Siruveni water Tamil nadu&
Kerala.

Construction of dams or power station

Hydroelectric

power generation
Dams are built across the rivers
Conflict through pollution
Production of electricity and shipping
Rivers and lakes are also used for industrial
purpose.
Disposing of waste water and industrial rubbish

MINERAL RESOURCES
Minerals

are naturally occurring substances

having definite chemical composition and
physical properties

Formation of mineral deposits

Various

biological processes
Mineral deposits are found due to the biological
decomposition of dead animals and organic
matters.
Minerals deposits are also formed due to the
concentration of minerals during cooling of molten
rock.
Mineral deposits are also formed due to
evaporation of sea water.

Classification of mineral
resources
Identified

resources

Undiscovered
Reserves

resources

Uses and exploitation of

minerals
Minerals

are used in a large number of ways in

everyday in domestic, agricultural, industrial
and commercial sectors.
Uses:
1.development of industrial plants and
machinery iron,aluminium, copper.
2.construction, housing, settlements.- Iron,
aluminium, nickel

 3.Generation

of energy- Coal, lignite, uranium.

4.Designing defense equipments, weapons,
ornaments.
5.Agriculture purposes, as fertilizers, seed
dressings and fungicides.- Zineb- Containing zinc;
maneb- manganese.
6.Jewellery Gold, silver, platinum and diamond.
7.communication purposes.- Telephone wires,
cables, electronic devices.

Classification of minerals
Minerals

are classified into two ways based on

their composition and usage.
I) Based on Composition
Metallic minerals- iron, aluminium, copper,
zinc.
Non-metallic minerals- Quartz, feldspar,
dolomite, calcite

 II).Based

on Usage
Critical minerals- iron, aluminium, copper
and gold.
Strategic minerals- manganese, cobalt,
platinum and chromium

Mineral wealth of india

Iron
Coal
Manganese
Copper
Gold
Aluminium
Tin
Chromium

Limestone
Mica
Monazite
Petroleum
Lead and zinc
Precious stones
Magnesite
gypsum

Environmental effects
Most

important environmental concern

arises from the extraction and processing of
the minerals during mining , melting,
roasting, etc.
Mining
Mining is the process of extraction of
metals from a mineral deposit.

Types of mining
a)

Surface mining
b)Underground mining
i)Open-pit mining
ii)Dredging
iii)Strip mining

Environmental damage
Devegetation

and defacing of landscape

Groundwater

contamination

Surface
Air

water pollution

pollution

Subsidence

of land

Effects of over exploitation of

mineral resources
Rapid

depletion of mineral deposits

Over

exploitation of mineral resources leads to

wastage and dissemination of mineral deposits.

Over

exploitation of mineral resources causes

environmental pollution.

Over

exploitation needs heavy energy requirements.

Management of mineral resources

The

efficient use and protection of mineral

resources

Modernization

of the mining industries

Search

for new deposit.

Re-use

and Re-cycling of the metals.

Case studies
Mining

and quarrying in Udaipur

About 200 open cast mining and quarrying
centers are found available in Udaipur, of
which 100 mining and quarrying centers are
illegal and involved in stone
mining(soapstone, building stone, rock
phosphate and dolomite.)

Mining in sariska tiger reserve

in aravalli range
North-west

India covering-Gujarat,
Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi.
The hill region is very rich in biodiversity as
well as mineral resources.
The sariska tiger reserve, in Aravalli series, is
very rich in wildlife and has enormous
mineral reserves like quartzite, marble and
granite.

Quarrying thorium and uranium in kanyakumari district

Indian

Rare Earths Corporation is quarrying sands, which

is enriched with Uranium and Thorium, near the sea shore
in Manali, Kanyakumari District, It leads to the loss of
many coconut plantation and sea shore beauty.

Extraction

of Aluminium

5.5 Tonnes of Bauxite

1.3 Tonnes of Coal
0.6 Ton of anode carbon
0.25 Ton of fuel oil
0.2 Ton of NaOH oil

Food Resources
Food

is an essential requirement for the human

survival Each person has minimum food
requirement. The main components of food are
carbohydrates, fast, proteins, minerals, and
vitamins.
Types of food supply
Croplands Rice, wheat, maize, barley ,
sugarcane, potato.
Rangelands- Meat, milk, fruits,
Oceans- Fish, prawn, crab.

WORLD FOOD PROBLEMS:

Problems mainly under nutrition and malnutrition

Natural calamities:-famine, drought, earthquake, flood, gale, storm
Disease and medical facilities
Pest damage:-insects, bacteria, viruses, parasites consume 60% of world's food
production
Hunger
Population explosion in rural areas
Environmental pollution
Lack of water for irrigation
Less rainfall due to deforestation
Livestock overgrazing
Overfishing

Under nutrition and malnutrition

Nutritious
Under

nutrition

Malnutrition

CHANGES CAUSED BY OVERGRAZING AND

AGRICULTURE:
Overgrazing:

Land degradation-leads to organically poor, dry, compacted soil

cannot be used for further cultivation
Soil erosion-cover of vegetation gets removed from soil
Loss of useful species-good quality grasses and herbs with high
nutritive value, when grazed lose even the root stocks which carry the
reserve food for regeneration get destroyed which gives raise to
secondary species like parthenium, Lantane, Xanthium etc
To prevent match the forage supplement to the herds
requirement.eg.Switch grass

Modern agriculture:

Damage to soil
Water contamination
Water scarcity
Global climate change
Water logging-results when soil is over irrigated
Soil salinity-increase plant productivity, interferes with water uptake by plants
Fossil fuels and pesticides produce air pollution
Impacts related to high yielding varieties:
Monoculture ie the same genotype is grown over vast areas. Disease spread
easily
Micronutrient imbalance e.g Zinc deficiency-affect soil productivity