Environmental Science

Syllabus
Unit 1: Introduction to environmental studies
Unit 2: Ecosystems
Unit 3: Natural Resources
 Natural resources
Natural resources: Natural resources
are the resources available in nature like
air, water, sunlight, soil, minerals, fossil
fuels, forests, wild life etc.
 Categories of NR

On the basis of origin:

Biotic NR – Biotic resources are obtained from the
biosphere (living and organic material), such as
forests and animals, and the materials that can be
obtained from them. Fossil fuels are also included
in this category because they are formed from
decayed organic matter.
Abiotic NR – Abiotic resources are those that come
from non-living, non-organic materials like land,
water, air, minerals, and metals (gold, iron, copper,
silver) etc.
 On the basis of their availability
Renewable NR: which can be replenished
naturally. Some of these resources, like
sunlight, air, wind, etc., are continuously
available and their quantity is not noticeably
affected by human consumption.

Non-renewable NR: cannot be renewed or

extremely slowly and those do not naturally
formed in the environment. Minerals are the
most common resource included in this
category.
By the human perspective, resources are non-
renewable when their rate of consumption
exceeds the rate of replenishment/recovery; a
good example of this are fossil fuels, which are in
this category because their rate of formation is
extremely slow (potentially millions of years),
meaning they are considered non-renewable.
 NATURAL RESOURCES AND ASSOCIATED
PROBLEMS

Forest resources and associated problems

Over-exploitation
Deforestation.
Timber extraction
Mining and its effects on forest
Dams and their effects on forests and tribal people.
 Water resources and associated
problems
Use and overutilization of water.
Floods, droughts etc.
River water conflicts
Dams and rehabilitation problems.
 Mineral resource and associated problems
Use and exploitation
Environmental effects of extracting and using
minerals.
 Food resources and associated problems
World food problems
Changes caused by agriculture and over grazing
Effects of modern agriculture
Fertilizer-pesticide problems
Water logging and salinity.
 Energy resources and associated
problems
Growing energy needs.
Pollution
Expenses
Land resources and associated problems
Land degradation
Man-induced landslides
Soil erosion and desertification.
What is the basic difference
between Soil erosion and
desertification?
 Causes of deforestation
Agricultural Activities
Livestock Ranching
Illegal Logging
Urbanization
Desertification of Land
Mining
Forest Fires
Paper
Overpopulation
 Problems due to deforestation
Increase in Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Increase in Global Warming
Climate Imbalance and Climate Change
Soil Erosion
Floods
Wildlife Extinction & Habitat Loss
Acidic Oceans
The Decline in Life Quality of People
Food Insecurity in the Future
Loss of Biodiversity
Solutions to deforestation
Government Regulations
Banning Clear-Cutting of Forests
Reforestation and Afforestation
Reduce Consumption of Paper
Educate Others
Purchase from Sustainable, Forest-Friendly
Companies
ROLE OF AN INDIVIDUAL IN
CONSERVATION OF NATURAL
RESOURCES
 ROLE OF AN INDIVIDUAL IN CONSERVATION OF
NATURAL RESOURCES
Turn off lights and fans as soon as you leave the
room.
Use tube lights and energy efficient bulbs that save
energy rather than bulbs.
Rainwater harvesting systems should be installed
in the localities.
Solar equipments should be used to cut down the
LPG consumption.
Houses should be build with proper insulation to
avoid heat loss during the winters.
Switch off the television or radio as soon as
the program of interest is over.
A pressure cooker can save up to 75%
energy required for cooking.
Keeping the vessel covered with a lid during
cooking, helps to cook faster, thus saving
energy.
Large scale plantations should be grown
outside the houses to get a cool breeze and
reduce greenhouse effect.
Drip irrigation and sprinkling may be practiced to
improve irrigation efficiency and reduce
evaporation.
Water leakages through pipes and toilets should
be monitored and repaired immediately.
Use public transportation systems more often to
save fuel.
Organic waste including kitchen garbage should
be converted into compost and used as manure.
Use of recyclable paper products instead of plastic
products
 FUTURE CHALLENGES

Food security for a large population

Fresh water scarcity
Urbanization
Renewable energy resource development
 Use of alternate energy

Hydroelectric Energy
Solar Energy
Wind Energy
Biomass Energy
Geothermal Energy
Tidal Power
 SOIL EROSION
The soil covering the surface of the earth has taken
millions of years to form and we must learn to respect
it.
Soil is formed at a rate of only 1 cm every 100 to 400
years and it takes 3 000 to 12 000 years to build enough
soil to form productive land.
This means that soil is a nonrenewable resource and
once destroyed it is gone forever.
 WHAT IS SOIL EROSION?
When a raindrop hits soil that is not protected by a
cover of vegetation and where there are no roots to
bind the soil.
Soil particles are loosened, washed down the slope of
the land and either end up in the valley or are washed
away out to sea by streams and rivers.
Erosion removes the topsoil first. Once this nutrient-
rich layer is gone, few plants will grow in the soil again.
Without soil and plants the land becomes desert like
and unable to support life.
 CAUSES OF SOIL EROSION

Overgrazing
Inappropriate farming techniques such as deep
ploughing land 2 or 3 times a year to produce annual
crops
Lack of crop rotation
Planting crops down the contour instead of along it.
 FACTORS DETERMINING SOIL EROSION

Slope of soil
Soil texture (size distribution of soil particles)
Soil structure (grouping or arrangement of soil
particles)
Presence of organic material
Presence of vegetation cover
Land use
 PREVENTING SOIL EROSION
The use of contour ploughing and windbreaks
Leave unploughed grass strips between ploughed
lands (strip cropping)
Make sure that there are always plants growing on
the soil, and that the soil is rich in humus
Avoid overgrazing
Allow indigenous plants to grow along riverbanks
Conserve wetlands
Thank you