Environmental Studies

Chapter-3: Natural resources

Land resources

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 Land resource
• Land is a naturally occurring finite resource. It provides the base for
survival of living beings. It holds everything that constitutes
terrestrial ecosystems.
• Excessive salt deposition degrades land quality.
• Breakdown of soil of the river bank can be the reason of flood.

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 Soil
• Soil is a mixture of organic
matter, minerals, gases, liquids,
and organisms that together support life.
• Soil, called the pedosphere, has four
important functions:
 Act as a medium for plant growth.
 Act as a means of water storage, supply
and purification.
 Act as a modifier of Earth's atmosphere.
 Act as a habitat for organisms.
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Types of soil:
•Clay soil: feels lumpy and is sticky
when wet and rock hard when dry.
• Sandy soil: feels gritty. It drains
easily, dries out fast and is easy to
cultivate.
•Silty soil: feels soft and soapy, it
holds moisture, is usually very rich
in nutrients.
•Peaty soil:is a darker soil and feels
damp and spongy due to its higher
levels of peat. It is an acidic soil
which slows down decomposition.
•Loamy soil: a relatively even mix of
sand, silt and clay, feels fine-
textured and slightly damp.
 Land degradation
• Land degradation means decrease in the
quality of the land and it becomes unfit for
cultivation.
• Increased demand on land in modern times
due to the rise in human population and
their activities has resulted in degradation of
land quality and quantity, decline in crop
production, and competition for land.
• Causes :
 The causes of Land degradation are:
1) Soil pollution
2) Soil Erosion
3) Over grazing
4) Extraction of minerals at a repeated stage.
5) Drought .

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 Soil Erosion
• Soil erosion is a continuous
process that occurs either slowly
or at an alarming rate. It results
in a continuous loss of topsoil,
ecological degradation, soil
collapse, etc.
• In this process, the soil particles
are loosened or washed away in
the valleys, oceans, rivers,
streams or far away lands. This
has been worsening due to
human activities such as
agriculture and deforestation.

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 Effects:
The major effects of soil erosion
include:
I. Loss of Arable Land
II. Clogging of Waterways
III. Air Pollution
IV. Desertification
V. Destruction of Infrastructure
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 Prevention:
Some of the methods of soil
erosion prevention:
a) Plant trees on barren lands to
limit erosion of soil.
b) Addition of mulch and rocks
to prevent the plants and
grass underneath to prevent
soil erosion.
c) Mulch matting can be used to
reduce erosion on the slopes.
d) Crop Rotation
 Desertification
• Desertification is a type of land degradation in drylands in which
biological productivity is lost due to natural processes or induced
by human activities whereby fertile areas become increasingly
more arid.
• Overgrazing is the major cause of desertification worldwide. Other
factors that cause desertification include urbanization, climate
change, overdrafting of groundwater, deforestation, natural
disasters and tillage practices in agriculture that place soils more
vulnerable to wind.

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 Effects : Prevention:
i. Farming becomes Preventive actions include:
next to impossible. •Integrating land and water
ii. Hunger problems. management to protect soils from
iii. Flooding erosion, salinization, and other forms
iv. Poor Water Quality of degradation.
v. Overpopulation •Protecting the vegetative cover, which
vi. Poverty: can be a major instrument for soil
conservation against wind and water
erosion.
•Integrating the use of land for grazing
and farming where conditions are
favorable, allowing for a more efficient
cycling of nutrients within the
agricultural systems.
•Creating economic opportunities in
dryland urban centers and in areas
outside of drylands.

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 Deforestation
• Deforestation is the decrease in forest areas. It happens
when forest regions are permanently lost (or at least lost in
the long term) for other uses such as agriculture,
urbanization or mining activities.
• Causes:
a. Natural: b. Social and
o Forest fire. economic cause:
o Landslide. o Locality.
o Earthquake. o Agriculture.
o Cyclones. o Industry.
o Forest fuel (timber).
o Volcano.
o Over grazing.
o Flood. o Building of dams.
o Transportation.
o Shifting cultivation.
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 Social forestry
• Social forestry refers to the management of forests for the benefits of
local communities.
• It includes aspects such as forest management, forest protection, and
afforestation of deforested lands with the objective of improving the
rural, environmental, and social development.
• Types of Social Forestry:
1. Agro-forestry
2. Farm Forestry
3. Extension Forestry
4. Community Forestry

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 Thank you

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