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.

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