INTRODUCTION

 Management of Natural Resources

Resources include the total natural environment as all parts of the Earth are of some use to man. They are actually stocks of nature such as water, soil, minerals, coal, forests, etc. but due to increasing population and technological development, our natural resources are getting polluted and depleted.

Natural Resources

The resources that are present in the environment and contribute to the life and being of humankind are known as natural resources.

There are two main types of natural resources:

Exhaustible natural resources:

These resources can be exhausted if the rate of usage of the resource is greater than the rate of replenishment of the resource.

Inexhaustible natural resources:

These resources cannot be exhausted even if they are used repeatedly and continuously.

Natural resources are substances obtained from the planet that are used to sustain life and provide for human needs. A natural resource is something that comes from nature that humans use. Natural resources include things like stone, sand, metals, oil, coal, and natural gas. Air, sunlight, soil, and water are other natural resources.

The wellbeing of people depends on natural resources. We cannot survive without the fresh water we drink, the plants we consume, or the pure air we breathe. To build roofs over our heads and heat our homes, we require natural resources.

Pollution

Pollution is an undesirable change in physical ch emical and biological characteristics of soil, water and air. This is harmful for all humans as well as other organisms on the Earth.
So there is an immediate need to take proper care and manage the natural resources to sustain them and conserve our environment for sustainable development.

There are international laws, organizations, different acts working towards the protection of our environment.

The awareness about the problems has lead to the conservation of the environment and natural resources.

For example – The Ganga Action Plan.

Pollution in Ganga

Ganga Action Plan is a massive multi – crore project implemented in 1985 which has undertaken to make the river Ganga pollution free.

 

It was noticed that due to continuous dumping of waste into river Ganga, the number of bacteria coliform increased to an alarming level. This bacteria is otherwise found in human intestine. This has lead to pollution of the river. As people use the water for bathing, washing clothes and many other activities that affects the ph level of water and makes it contaminated.

 

• The river Ganga is used as a sewage dump for more than 100 cities stretching across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal.
• Dumping of untreated sewage,  excreta and chemicals from industries increases the toxicity of the water.
• This makes it inhabitable for the flora and fauna in the river system.
• In 1985 the GAP (Ganga Action Plan) project was initialised to curb the poor quality of the water of river Ganges.

Three R’s

The three Rs that can help people save the environment are Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

Reduce:

• To reduce means to lessen the usage of such materials that can seriously harm the environment. If people stop using these materials, it will have a domino effect, and the production of such materials will also eventually reduce.
• You can use less.
• You can save electricity by switching off unnecessary lights and fans.
• You can save water by repairing leaky taps.
• You don’t waste food.

Reuse:

• To reuse means to collect and use harmful materials repeatedly so that they do not need to be bought again and again. This is bound to reduce the sale of such items and their production as well, which has great potential to save the environment.
• You can use things again and again.
• Plastic bottles can be used for storing things in the kitchen.

Recycle:

• The third R is to recycle. This means that such materials that may potentially harm the environment must be recycled to the greatest extent possible. Recycling helps obtain base materials again.
• You can collect plastic, paper, glass and metal items and recycle them instead of new material.

The concept of sustainable development encourages forms of growth that meet current basic human needs, while preserving the resources for the needs of future generations.

Economic development is linked to environmental conservation. Thus, sustainable development implies a change in all aspects of life.

 

Why Do We Need to Manage Our Natural Resources?

Natural resources form the foundational and basic elements of the things we use or consume, be it food, electricity, clothes, transportation, living spaces, amongst others. We need to use these natural resources carefully as they are limited and with reckless use, they will soon be scarce. The sustainable management of natural resources is primarily a way to control natural resources’ use, especially exhaustible ones so that their usage is optimum, and their wastage is wholly avoided.

We are in immediate need to manage our resources because everything that we consume is obtained from resources present on the Earth. They have to be carefully handled as natural resources are limited.

Forests and wildlife

• Forests are termed as biodiversity hotspots.
• Biodiversity is the variety and range of plant and animal life in a particular habitat.
• Loss of biodiversity may result in loss of ecological balance and damage to the ecosystem.

 

Stakeholders of forest

When we consider conservation of forests we must consider the following stakeholders:

• People who habituate around forests and are dependent on forest produce.
• Forest Department of the Government that own the land and resources.
• Industrialists: who use the forest to produce certain products e.g leaves of Tendu for bidis and paper mills.
• Conservationists and wildlife enthusiasts who want to conserve nature in its pristine form.

Monoculture

• Monoculture is the cultivation of a single crop in a given area.

• Excessive monoculture destroys the biodiversity of the area.
• Various needs of the people local to forest areas are neglected such as leaves for fodder, herbs and fruits for consumption.

Industrialists consider forest as a source of raw materials. Industries have more political power than the locals and only bother about meeting their demands. They do not care about sustainability and will move on from one habitat to another in search of raw materials.

• Human intervention is a necessity in the management of forest resources and landscapes.
• Resources must be utilized to ensure development while preserving the environment.
• Benefits must go to the local people to ensure economic growth and conservation takes place simultaneously.
• Examples: Bishnoi community in Rajasthan for saving Khejri trees in Jodhpur Rajasthan.
• Excessive and lawless utilization of forests will deplete the resources quicker then they can be restored.
• Destroys the ecological balance and may damage the habitats for various species of flora and fauna.

Sustainable development

• Sustainable development needs all stakeholders of forest resources to be satisfied.
• In reality, industries use forests at rates far below the market rates which causes conflict between local dwellers and industrialists.
• West Bengal’s Arabari forests are well-known for being protected areas. This forest gained notoriety as a result of the participation of locals who established a community and worked with village police and forest officials to ensure that there was no significant deforestation, land poaching, or illegal wildlife hunting there.

Chipko movement

• The Chipko Andolan (‘Hug the Trees Movement’) is one such case of conflict between the industrialist and local dwellers in the 1970s.
  
• Originated in Reni Garhwal, high up in the Himalayas.
• The conflict between local villagers and logging contractor → Women of the village stopped felling of trees by hugging them → Contractor had to reverse the action.
  
• The movement quickly gained popularity and media attention and forced the government to rethink the management of forest resources.
• Involvement of local people is equally important in the management of forest resources.

Conservation of Forests and Wildlife

The conservation of wildlife is among the most important parts of the conservation of natural resources. The conservation of wildlife is not just important because it helps maintain the balance in the ecology of a particular region and the planet as a whole, but also because it helps preserve the gene pool. Wildlife not being conserved can lead to species going extinct.

The conservation of wildlife means:

• developing laws that protect the wildlife of an area
• incentivizing people to protect and preserve rare and endangered species
• conducting periodic surveys of areas of rich wildlife to understand its ecology, and take steps to preserve it
• imposing severe restrictions on deforestation

The conservation of forests can be done through sustainable management. The main steps for the conservation of forests are:

• afforestation (the planting of new trees of barren land)
• reforestation (the replanting of trees on the land that was earlier exploited)
• separation of commercial forestry
• the regulation of grazing

• the vast and harmful effects of deforestation. The main effects of deforestation are soil erosion, desertification, floods, the destruction of wildlife, and changes in the climate of a region.

 

Water for All

Water

• Water is a necessity for all terrestrial forms of life.
• In India places having water scarcity are also the places experiencing acute poverty.
• Despite the monsoon, there exists failure to retain groundwater due to loss of vegetation and release of effluents from industries.
• Decrease in fresh usable water due to the destruction of water table and disruption in water cycle.
• Intervention of government to pursue mega projects neglected the local irrigation methods
• Strict regulations on usage of stored water and building tanks, dams and canals
• Optimum cropping patterns must be followed based on water availability.
• Himachal Pradesh had a canal irrigation system called kulhs where flowing stream water was diverted to man-made channels which took it to villages down the hillside.
• The water was used first by the village farthest from the origin of the kulh. This helped water percolate in the soil.
• It was made defunct after government irrigation system took over.

Dams

• Dams can store large amounts of water and generate electricity.

• Mismanagement of dams causes exploitation and there is no equitable distribution of this resource.
• Criticism about large dams address:
  (i) Displacement of tribals without compensation
  (ii) Corruption and consumption of money without generation of benefits
  (iii) Environmental problems like deforestation.

Uses:

• For irrigation, water from dams is used.
• Dam water is purified and made available for drinking in neighbouring towns and cities.
• Hydroelectric power is produced by dams and utilised to produce electricity.
• Dams stop flooding from taking lives and property.

Water Harvesting

• Water harvesting encourages soil and water conservation in order to sustain and increase biomass.

• Increases income for the local community but also alleviates floods and droughts.

Examples:

Rajasthan’s tanks, Khadins, and Nadis, Maharashtra’s Tals and Bandharas, Madhya Pradesh’s and Uttar Pradesh’s Bundhis, Bihar’s Pynes and Ahars, Himachal Pradesh’s Kulhs, Kattas in Karnataka, ponds in the Kandi belt of Jammu region, and Eris (tanks) in Tamil Nadu, Kerala’s Surangams.

• Water harvesting constructions are crescent-shaped earthen embankments/concrete check dams built in areas that are seasonally flooded
• The main purpose is to recharge groundwater.

The following is a list of the advantages of a rainwater harvesting system.

• Decreases the demand for water imports.
• Encourages energy and water conservation.
• Increases groundwater availability and quality.
• Does not need a filtering system for irrigation in gardens.
• This technology is comparatively straightforward and simple to install and use.

Groundwater

Advantages:

• does not evaporate
• recharges wells
• when flowing does not allow mosquitoes to breed
• does not come in contact with human contamination

Conservation of Water

• All forms of life require water to sustain life. This makes water among the most important resources on the Earth. Not being able to retain water in a region can lead to the complete loss of life from that region. In regions where water is naturally not present, ways of irrigation such as dams may be built. Here are the major advantages and disadvantages :

The advantages of dams include:

• They can ensure a year-round supply of water for a region.
• The water from the dam can be treated and further supplied to people in nearby residential areas, where natural sources of water might not otherwise be present.
• The water of a dam is present at a great height, and hence may be used to generate electricity by harnessing the potential energy of water maintained at a height.

However, building dams also carries its own set of disadvantages:

• The construction of dams causes a large number of people to be dislocated from their homes, sometimes with very little compensation.
• The construction of dams also causes deforestation and disturbs the ecology of a region.

A better way of conserving water is through the harvesting of water. Different states of India have different ways in which water is harvested. The harvesting of water can also be combined with filtration systems so that clean water may be obtained.

Conservation of Fossil Fuels

The integral ways to facilitate the conservation of fossil fuels. The two primary fossil fuels are coal and petroleum. Coal has been derived from plant remains, while petroleum has been derived from liquefied plant and animal remains that have been pressurized over millions of years.

The conservation of fossil fuels can be done in a number of ways:

• The use of fossil fuels can be replaced with other fuels such as compressed natural gas.
• While these generally are derived from fossil fuels themselves, it is also prudent to note that they do not cause as much pollution as fossil fuels due and also last longer.
• The wastage of fossil fuels during their extraction must also be avoided at all costs.
• The overconsumption of fossil fuels in various industries must be checked and regulated.
• Several alternative sources of energy can also be utilized instead of fossil fuels.
• These sources include hydroelectric power, nuclear power, wind power, and solar power.

 

Importance of Fossil fuels

• Fossil fuels are formed over millions of years of degrading biomass and have a huge amount of carbon.
• When combusted in a limited supply of oxygen they form harmful gases that pollute the atmosphere which leads to global warming.
• Judicious use of fossil fuels addresses the efficiency of our machines and ensures sustainability of our resources for the future.

Coal and petroleum

• Coal and petroleum are derived from fossil fuels which are non-renewable. They will get depleted in due time. Hence, proper management for consumption of fossil fuels is important.

• Their combustion pollutes our environment due to the production of oxides of carbon, sulfur and nitrogen. Therefore, we need to use these resources judiciously.

How to make difference in energy consumption?

• Put your computer to sleep.
• Unplug any gadgets and equipment you are not using.
• Shower for fewer minutes.
• Set the refrigerator to 37–40 degrees F.
• Reduce your plug load by using a power strip.