Management of Natural Resources

Synopsis

Natural Resources 

• Any matter or energy derived from the environment which can be used by all living organisms, including man, for their welfare constitute our natural resources.
• Forests and wildlife, water, coal and petroleum are some of our important natural resources.
  
  
  
  
• A system of controlling the use of natural resources in such a way so as to avoid their wastage and allow their use in the most judicial way is called management of natural resources.
• Natural resources should be managed in such a way that everyone in the society is benefited from its development.

Need to Manage our Resources

Sustainable Development

• Sustainable development is a development which meets the needs of the present generation as well as preserves the resources for future generations. It ensures that we do not overexploit our natural resources and do not pollute our environment.
• The goals of sustainable development are

• To promote the kind of development that minimises environmental problems.
• To meet the needs of the existing generation without compromising with the quality of the environment for future generations.

Achieving Sustainable Development

• It can be achieved by restricting human activities and making sensible use of natural resources.
• Technological development should be input effective and not input utilising.
• The rate of consumption should not surpass the rate of salvation.
• For renewable resources, the rate of consumption should not surpass the rate of production of renewable substitutes.
• All types of pollution should be minimised.

Conservation of the Environment

• Conservation means ‘to keep safe’ whereas preservation means ‘to maintain the environment at it is’. 
• It is crucial that we make use of the resources without causing any harm to the environment.

Practices for Conserving and Protecting the Environment

 

Forests and Wildlife

• Forests refer to a large piece of land covered with trees, shrubs and herbs growing naturally and sustaining a variety of life forms.
• Uncultivated plants and non-domesticated animals which live in their natural habitat collectively constitute the wildlife of an area. 
• Naturally occurring plants and animals constitute the flora and fauna of the forest. 
• Forests are often referred to as biodiversity hotspots due to the presence of a large number of life-forms.
• The main aim of management of forests and wildlife is to conserve the vast inherited biodiversity, because loss of biodiversity leads to loss of ecological stability of the forest ecosystem.

Stakeholders in the Management of Forests

• A stakeholder is someone with an interest or concern in something.
• There are four categories of stakeholders-
  
  

Silviculture

• Silviculture is the practice of replenishing the depleting forests by growing more trees and plants.

 

Advantages of Silviculture

• Produces a large quantity of raw materials for industry
• Increases the area of the earth under forests
• Maintains an ideal water cycle in nature
• Prevents soil erosion
• Prevents floods
  
  

 

Sustainable Management

• People’s participation in the management of forests can help in increasing forest produce as well as in their conservation.
  
  
  
  
  
  

 

Conservation of Wildlife

• Large-scale poaching of wild animals residing in forests is a serious threat to the survival of many animal and bird species.
• This disturbs the food chains in which these animals occur which results in undesirable consequences for the entire ecosystem.

 

Measures to be Taken for the Conservation of Wildlife

 

 

 

 

 

 

Water

• Water is one of the most crucial requirements for the survival of every living organism on the Earth. 
• It is an important constituent of the body. Nearly 75% of our body weight is due to the presence of water.
• Rains, rivers, lakes, ponds, wells, oceans and glaciers are the important sources of water.

 

Sources of Water

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fossil Fuels

• Fossil fuels are buried flammable geologic deposits of organic substances such as dead plants and animals that got deposited under several thousand feet of silt.