CHAPTER8

MANAGEMENT OF
NATURAL RESOURCES
Natural resources include total natural environment, i.c. the entire surface layer ot the

Topic Checklist Carth, because all parts of rthe Earth's surface are of some use to human beings. These
resources contribute to the production of necessities and comforts of mankind. Natural
Resources
o Need of Natural resources are the stock of the nature such as air, water, soil, minerals, animals and plants.
for their
and Measures
Conservation
Natural resources are classified into following two categorics:
Management and
Conservation of Natural () Inexhaustible Natural Resources These resources are present in unlimited
be cxhausted by human activities.
Resources
quantity in the nature and they are not likely to
These are renewable and thus are
e.g. Solar radiation, air,
Need to Manage our water, etc. resources

Natural Resources
replenished naturally.
and are
Forests and Wildlife
(i) Exhaustible Natural Resources These resources are limited in nature
torests,
Forests liable to degrade in quantity and quality by human activities. c.g. soil,
These are non-renewable and
Sustainable Management wildlife, minerals, coal, petroleum, etc.
People's Participation non-replenishable due to lack of regeneration.
Wildlife and its conservation
Water and Fossil Fuels
TOPIC 1 Need of Natural Resources and
Water for All
Water harvesting Measures for their Conservation
Coal and Petroleumm
An Overview of Natural MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION
Resource Management
OF NATURAL RESOURCES
of natural resources means the scientific utilisation of
Management and conservation
resources in such a way that it may yield the greatest sustainable benefit to the present
generation, while maintaining its potential to meet the needs and aspirations of future
of our natural resources are
generations. In recentyears, it has been observed that most
being depleted. It is mainly due to the over exploitation of resources as a result of
changing lifestyle, over population and technological developnment.
wisely manage natural resources and minimise their
Thus, the need of the hour is
to our

For this, we should remember the 3 Rs that can save the environment, i.e.
wastage.
Reduce, Recycle and Reuse.

Reduce
minimise the use of various products and all the things, which are obtained
It means to

directly or indirectly from natural resources.

 346 Allinone SCIENCE Class 10th Term
c.g. we should save clectricity by
switching off
unnecessary lights and fans. We should also save water NEED TO MANAGE OUR
by repairing leaky taps. Moreover, food should not be
wasted on several occasions like NATURAL RESOURCES
marriages, parties, etc. We need to manage our resources carefully because:
Recycle Natural resources are limited and with the current
This involves the increasing rate of human population, the demand for all the
considerced waste and
processing of things that are
turning thcm into useful resources is increasing exponentially.
products. The articles made of recycled plastic, glass, Natural resources require a long term perspective, so that
paper or metal can be uscd instead of
using fresh they can last for the generations to come and will not merely
plastic, paper, etc. be exploited to the hilt for short term
gains.
Reuse To ensure equitable distribution ofresources, so that all and
This means to use
things again and again. not just a handful of rich and powerful people, benetit from
the development of these resources.
e.g. use of cloth napkin instead of paper napkins, used
T o control the damage caused to the environment, while
envelopes can be reversed and used
again, the empty resources are extracted by mining or used.
plastic bottles of jams or pickle can be used to store
things in kitchen. This method is actually better than Pollution of the Ganga and
recycling because the process of recycling uses some Ganga Action Plan (GAP)
energy Ganga is one of the most important river of India. it runs over 2500
km from Gangotri in the Himalayas to the Ganga Sagar in Bay of
Concept of Sustainable Development Bengal. It is being polluted by more than hundred cities and towns
It is the process of development natural in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal.
Garbage. human excreta.
to sustain untreated sewage are dumped into the river Ganga
systems and their yields, which can be maintained for a daily.
long time without any damage to the environment. Several human activities like washing of clothes. immersion of
ashes, chemical effluents of industries are also responsible for the
The concept of sustainable development This pollution resulted in the fish killing in large
encourages
growth that meet the current basic human needs, while
pollution of Ganga.
sections of the river.
preserving the resources for the necds of the future Ganga Action Plan (GAP) was a programme launched by
generations. Government of India in April 1985 in order to reduce the pollution
load on the river. The programme was launched with much fanfare.
Sustainable development implies a change in all but it failed to decrease the polution level in the river, after
aspects of life. It depends upon the willingness of the spending 901.71 crore (approx. 1010) rupees over a period of15
people to change their perceptions of the years.
sOCio-economic and environmental conditions around Coliform is a group of bacteria, found in human intestines. Its
them and the readiness of each
individual to alter their presence in water indicates contamination by disease causing
present use of natural resources. microorganisms which was found to be very high in Ganga during
1993-1994 indicating it is a home of diseases.
TOPICForestsand Wildlife
FORESTS .The leaves of trees absorb carbon dioxide and
It is an extensive arca of land covered with trees and other releate
oxygen, a phenomenon that is vital for all lite on
made thee
plants. It is a plant community oftrees, herbs,
shrubs, Earth.
ctc. They grow in almost all parts of the Earth from cold .They provide timber to man
from mountains tor various activities like
polar arcas to hot cquatorial areas; high to construction.
low plains and from wet areas to dry deserts of the world They are a source of edible
truits and nuts.
Forests are the hot-spots of biodiversity, they need to be waxesand oils are also obtained Numerou
conserved in order to preserve the biodiversity found in the
from
many trees is used as a raw material to
torests. Sap of
forest (loss of diversiry nmay lead to the loss of ccological variety of goods. manufacture
stability). .Bark of some trees areused to make cork
medicines. A and
Forests need to be conserved because: variety of chemicals are
procured
forests for their use in from
They provide habitat to numerous species of plants
medicines, alcohol, etc.
tanning of leather,
inks, dves.
and animals. All inhabitants get food and protection
from the forests.
.They help in protecting the soil from erosion.
Stakeholders
A stakeholder can be a
person, a group or an
They store a large amount of water which acts as buffer that may be affected or have any kind of interest organisation
for ecosystem during dry in the
periods. Removal of forests or in the project
project's outcome either directly or indirectly.
disturbs the ecological balance that causes floods and AllL
stakeholders are not equal, every stakeholder has
droughts. They play a vital role in the atmospheric his own
circulation and thus, control the expectations and requirements and they should be handled
global climate. the way he
expects.
 Mangement of Natural Resources
Wheu we consider the conservAt ion ol forests,
to look at the stakeholders wlho are:
(0 The Local People
These are the people who live in or around forests and
re dependent on forest products for var'ious aspects of
heir life. "They need large quantities of firewood, small
timber and thatch (craft for building roof). Bamboo is
uscd to make slats tor huts and baskets for collectinu
and storing food materals. Implemen1s for agriculuTC
fishing and hunting are largely made of wood, also
forests are the sites for fishing and hunting.
In addition to people, gathering fruits, nuts and
medicines from the torests, their cattle also graze in
forest areas or feed on other fodder which is collected
from forests.
(i) The Forest Department
The Forest Department is India's
biggest landlord and
control the resources from forests. The officials of this
department tend to ignore both local knowledge and
local needs in their management practices. Thus, vast
tracts of forests have been converted to monocultures
of pine or Eucalyptus.
In order to plant these trees, huge areas are first cleared
of all vegetation. This destroys a large amount of
the area. Not only this, the varied needs
biodiversiry in
of the local people, leaves for fodder, herbs for
medicines, fruits and nuts for food, can no longer be
met from such forests. Such plantations are useful for
the industries to access specific products and are an
Important source of revenue for
Department.
(üi) Industry
Itwould consider the forest as merely a source of raw
material for its factories. And
huge interest groups
lobby the government for access to these raw materials
at
artificially low rates.
Cg. atter cutting down all teak trees in one area, they
will get their teak from a forest farther away. They do
not have any stake in ensuring that one particular area
nould yield an optimal amount of some produce for
all
generations to come.
() The Nature and Wildlife Enthusiasts
he wildlife and nature enthusiasts, are one who want
O Conserve nature in its pristine form. They are i n no
way dependent on the forests.The conservationist first
arted conserving large animals like lions, tigers,
elephants and rhinoceros.
349
we need
they now recognise the need to preserve biodiversity as
whole, There have been
a
enough instances of local people working
traditionally for the conservation of forest.
. . The great Himalayan National Park contains within its
Teserved area alpine meadows which were grazed by sheep in
NIMmer. When, this national
park
was formed, this
was practice
put to an end. Now, it is seen that without the regular grazing by
sheep, the grass first grows very tall and then falls over preventing
fresh growth.
Amrita Devl Bishnol Award
For Bishnol
community in Rajasthan, the conservation of forest and
wildlife had been a religious tenet. In 1731, Amria Devi Bishnoi,
sicrificed her life along with 363 others for the
trees in Khejrali village near
protection of Khejri
Jodhpur in Rajasthan, In the memory
of "Amrita Devi Bishnoi," thc Governrment of Irndia has
recentdy
instituted an "Amrita Devi Bishnoi National Award for Wildiife
Conservation,"
SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT
The controlled of in such
use a resource a
way that its present
availabiliy and continuous flow to the future generation is
ensured without any disturbance to the environment is known as
sustainable management. The resources should be used in sucha
way that it does not hinder the present progress and also does not
put at stake, the future availability of the resources. Forest
resources need to be used in a manner, which is
environmentally
and developmentally sound. The benefits of the controlled
exploitation should go to the local people.
If the resource exploitation will be too high, then the economic
and social development will be faster, but the environment will
furcher deteriorate. So, natural resources should be used
the Forest continuously in such a way that economic growth and ecological
conservation should go hand in hand.
Chipko Andolan (Hug the Trees Movement)
This movement was started in early 1970s from Reni village. in
Garhwal. A logging contractor was allowed to cut trees in a forest
close to the village.
On a particular day, the contractor's workers appeared in the forest
to cut the trees while the men folk were absent. The women of the
village reached the forest and huged the tree trunks preventing the
workers from cutting trees. Thus thwarted, the contractor had to
withdraw.
PEOPLE'S PARTICIPATION
The Chipko movement quickly spread across communities and
media and forced the government to whom the forest
belongs, to
rethink their priorities in the use of forest produce.
Experience
has taught people that the destruction of forests affects not
the availability of forest products, but also the
just
the sources of water.
quality of soil and
 350 Allinone sCIENCE Class 10th Term I

Participation of the local people can indeed lead to the Wildlife and its Conservation
etticient management of forests. A programme named The depleting wildlife also includes animals present in thes
"Silviculture" had also been started to replenish the forests. The poaching or killing of wild animals present in

depleting forests, so as to meet the diverse necds of various forests for commercial bencfits is also an increasing threat.
sectors and maintain balance in ecosystem and its functions
The animals are killed for their skin, teeth, fur, feathers5,
tusks, etc., used in commercial production of many
An Example of People's Participation in the disturbs the ecological food chainn
Management of Forests products. This practice
in 1972. the sal forests in the Southwestern districts of West and ecological balance.
Bengal degraded alarmingly. Traditional methods like policing
and surveillance employed by forest
Department resulted in Measures for Conservation of Wildlife
frequent lashes between forest officials and villagers. .The poaching should be made a punishable offence.
AK Banerjee. an officer of forest department changed the .Monitoring/surveillance by the forest department
strategy by making a beginning in the Arabari forest range of
Midnapore district. Villagers were involved in the protection should be increased.
of sal forests, in return villagers were
given employment and .Conservation strategies for endangered animals is vital
were allowed to collect fuel, wood and fodder on
payment of
nominal fee. With the active and willing .Increased number of national parks and sanctuaries
participation of the
villagers. the sal forests showed a remarkable recovery by with adequate security.
1983.
 TOPIC Water and Fossil Fuels
WATER FOR ALL Kulhs of Himachal Pradesh
a local system of
Water is a basic necessity for all forms of terrestrial and aquatic Parts of Himachal Pradesh had evolved
life. Water on Earth is available in the form of several canal irrigation called Kulhs over four
hundred years ago
the fields in the
waterbodies like oceans, rivers, lakes and ponds. Rain is a very The water in streams was diverted to
villages farthest from the source of Kulh, then to villages
important source of water. Rain in India largcly occurS during
progressively higher up.
the monsoons. This means that most of the rain falls in few
In this way, water was shared between many villages, but
months of the year and replenishes the waterbodies. after the Kulhs were taken over by the irrigation
non-functional and there
Inspite of good rains, the failure to sustain availabilities of department. Most of them became
of water as before.
was no peaceful sharing
underground water is due to
Lack of sufficient vegetative cover on the ground
because of which, only little rainwater seeps into the
Dams
Dams are the barriers constructed across rivers to hold the
ground and get stored as groundwater. the
water. These are large reservoirs of water, that ensures
The high yielding varieties of crops require much more
storage of adequate water for different
uses.

amount of water for irrigation.

Untreated sewage and industrial wastes discharged into Purpose and Uses of Dams
the rivers and lakes reduces the availability of usable Water stored in dams can be used tor ditterent purposes are
water. as given below:

Resources For irrigation.

Management of Water For the generation of electricity (hydroclectric
Following practices have been made to manage the water power).
resources: To control tloods as dams store water during rainy

Dams, tanks and canals are used since many years to season.

meet the minimum requirements for both agriculture Supply of water to great distance (to the place where
and daily needs. required) through the canal system.
to
Regulation of use of water
stored in dams. e.g. Indira Gandhi Canal has brought greenery
considerable areas of Rajasthan.
based on water availability.
Optimum cropping pattern
Mangement of Natural Resources
353|
lndira Gandhi Canal starts from the Harike Barrage at
sote Sultanpur. a few Rilometres below the confuence ofthe Conventional Methods of Water Harvesting
Sathuj and Beas river in Punjab state
In India, different communities use hundreds of indigenous water
Narmada Bachao Andolan saving methods to capture every trickle of water that had fallen on

Andolan (Save the

their land.
Narmada
Bacha
Narmada) was a These methods are:
protest gainst raising the height of Sardar Sarovar
Dam on
the river Narmada. Digging of small pits and lakes.
Put in place simple watershed systems.
Criticisms about Large Dams Building small earthen dams.
following three Constructing dykes, sand and Ilimestone reservoirs.
Large
dams cause
problems in
Set-up rooftop water collecting units.
particular

( Social Problems Because

Social Problems Bec they displace large Traditional Water Harvesting System
number of peasants and tribals without enough In largely level terrain, the water harvesting seructures are mainly
compensation or rehabilitation. crescent shaped earthen embankments or low, straighe concrete
(Economic Problems Because they utilise large and rubble checkdanms built across seasonally flooded gullies.
amount of public money without the generation Monsoon rains fill ponds behind the structures. Only the largest
of proportionate benefits. structures hold water year round and other usually get dry in six
(ii) Environmental Problems Because they months or less after the monsoons.
contribute enormously to deforestation which Their main purpose however, is not to hold surface water, but to
leads to the loss of biological diversity
recharge the ground water beneath.
The various advantages of water stored in the ground are:
Mismanagement of Water Distribution
Mismanagement of water distribution has largely led It does not evaporate, but spreads out to recharge wells.
to the benefits being taken by a few people only. There .It provides moisture for vegetation over a wide area.
is no equal distribution of water. I t does not provide breeding grounds for mosquitoes like
People dose to the water reservoirs grow water stagnant wvater collected in ponds or artificial lakes.
intensive crops like sugarcane and rice while people The groundwater is also procected
relatively from
farther downstream do not get any water. The natives contamination by human and animal waste.
who have been promised benefits that never arrived are
added to discontented list of people who have been
displaced for building of the dam and its canal Catchment araa Khadi
nerwork. bund Shailow
hadin N
COpEed area

WATER HARVESTING
mTTTImITITTT Saine area
dugwell

Seepage
tmeans capturing rainwater where it talls or
Traditional water harvesting system an ideal settinu
apturing the run-off water in a local area. of the Khadins system

Watershed Management Some Water Harvesting Systems in India

Watershed aims
management at scientific
Khadins, tanks and Nadis Raasthan
SCvation of soil and water in order to increase th
Bandharas and Tals Maharashtra
Onass production. The aim is to develop primary
resources
of
of land and water to increase the production Bundhis Mathya Pradesh and Uttar Preadesh
their
ondary resources of plants and animals for Ahars and Pynes Bilha
use in a
way that will not result in ecologiCal Kulhs Himachal Pradesh
imbalance. Ponds Kandi belt of Januu
The
advantages
increases of watershed management
the production of
are
watershed
Eis (Tanks) Tand Nudu
and incom Suranganms Kerala
ommunity, reduces droughts and floods
Increases the life of ownstream dam and reserv
and
Kattas Karnataka
 Class 10th Term
354 AllinOne SCIENCE

carbon monoxide
sulphur, nitrogen and
are
The oxides of
COAL AND PETROLEUM poisonous at high concentrations among
these products
gas. The
increase in amount
Coal and petroleum are the most important sourceof Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse
will lead to intense global
energv. These are the largest conventional fossil
fuels in
ofcarbon dioxide in the atmosphere
addition to carbon contain hydrogen, nitrogen and warming. Thus, we need to use these
resources judiciously.
sulphur. Petroleum
Coal It isa combustible organic fuel that occurs inside the
Conservation of Coal and
reduce the consumption of coal and
Earth. General practices to

petroleum are as follows:

Petroleum (petro = rocks and oleum = oil) It is a naturally
Switch off the lights, fans, television and other electrical
occurring liquid composed of organic chemicals. It is
found in large quantities below the surface of the Earth. appliances when not needed.
Use energy efficient appliances to save electriciry.
Formation of Coal and Petroleum .Use stairs to climb at least up to three floors of a
Coal and petroleum were formed from the degradation of
biomass millions of years ago and hence, these are the building
.Public transport system needs to be improved, so that
resources that will be exhausted in the future. As per an
estimation, our known petroleum resources will last for people can use them instead of using their personal
about torty years and the coal resources will last for another vehicles.
two hundred years. On cold days, an extra sweater can be used instead of
heating device like heater or sigri.
Uses of Coal and Petroleumn
Coal and petroleum both are used as energy source in
different purposes. Coal is used in thermal power
AN OVERVIEW OF NATURAL
plants,
steam eng1ne, etc. RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Petroleum and its products like diesel, petrol, kerosene, Sustainable management of natural resources is a difficult
LPG are used in vehicles, ships, aircrafts and household task. In addressing this issue, we need to keep an open mind
purposes like cooking. with regard to the interests of various stakeholders.
People act
with their own best interests as the priority, but it leads to
Pollution by Coal and Petroleum misery for a large number of people and a total destruction of
When coal and petroleum are burnt, the products like our environment isslowly occurring. Going beyond laws
carbon dioxide, water, oxides of nitrogen and oxides of rules and regulations,
we need to minimise our
sulphur released into air. When combustion takes place
are individually and collectively, so that the requirements
benefits of
in insufficient air (oxygen), carbon monoxide is formed
development can reach to everyone and to all
generation
instead of carbon dioxide. come.