related to environmental studies syllabus specifically covering unit no 2 i.e natural resources and its associated problems.

1. Meaning of resources:
The term resources was taken to mean only the
natural factors or things like mountains, mineral
deposit, forests, animal life, soil, water, air etc
‘Resource’ was used to refer to only natural
resources.
This term was taken to mean all natural
phenomenon or factors, whether they are useful
to man or not.

2. •Natural resources occur naturally within environments
•Natural resource is often characterized by amounts of
biodiversity and geo diversity existent in various ecosystems.
•Any material which is part of earth and satisfy human need and
add value is called as resource. Example: rocks, minerals, soil,
rivers, plants & animal.
•Human is a resource because developing his skill, he can
develop other resource by adding value to the physical material .
What are Natural Resources?
Source: www.slideshare.net/naturalresou

3. Value of Natural Resources
 Economic value- Production of things from natural
resources
 Legal value- Clean air, Fresh water, Healthy animal
and human beings
 Aesthetic value- Beauty of village, roads, ponds and
their agricultural fields

7. Meaning of the forest:
The term “forest ”is derived from the latin word “foris”
meaning outside. Originally ,it is uncultivated and
uninhabitated village boundary consisting of natural plants,
i.e., trees and grasses .
It means an association of plants , natural or cultivated,
predominantly trees.
In the words of Allen and Shorpe, “Forest is a
community of trees and associated organism
covering a considerable area, utilizing air, water and
minerals to attain maturity and to reproduce and
capable of furnishing mankind with indispensable
products and services”

10. (1) Protective Functions:
This includes the protective role of forests against soil
erosion, drought, Flood, intense radiations etc..
(2) Productive Functions:
Forest are the sources of wood and many other products
like gums, resins, fibers, medicines, honey, pulp, paper etc

11. (3) Regulative Functions:
Functions like absorption, storage, release of gases,
water, minerals and radiant energy, improve atmospheric
conditions.
Forest effectively regulate flood, droughts and many
gaseous cycles in nature.
(4) Accessory Functions:
This includes the role of forests in recreation, aesthetics,
and as habitat of diverge wild life etc.

12. They provide timber for house-building, ship-building,
bridges, railway carriages, furniture's etc.
They supply fire wood and charcoal for fuel in homes and in
industries.
They provide wood pulp for the paper and rayon industries.
They provide honey for food and medicines.
They provide bee wax for candles, medicines, shoe-making
etc.
They provide canes foe baskets, mats, chairs, ropes,
walking sticks and umbrella handles.
They provide sandal wood for carved boxes and small
domestic articles .
They provide tanning materials in the form of wood, barks,
leaves, roots, and fruits for tanning hides and skin.

13. They provide corks for bottle-stoppers.
They provide camphor for medicines.
They provide rubber for rubber industries.
They provide balata for the preparation of sea cables and
machine belts.
They provide edible fruits.
They provide fibers.
They provide grasses for the grazing of animals, thatching

14. They stop the rain-bearing winds and cause the rainfall.
They increase the moisture content in the atmosphere and
thereby provide additional precipitation(i.e., rainfall) in the
locality
They minimize the extreme variation in climatic condition
and make the climate more equable.
They control floods during heavy rain by absorbing excess
rain water.
They prevent soil erosion by checking the force of flowing
of water.
The thick roots of the trees absorb large quantity of water
thus, forest help in the flow of rivers and streams.

15. They offer hunting grounds.
They provide shelter to wild animals and birds.
They improve the sanitary condition of a place .
They are a source of revenue to the government .
They facilitate human existence by provide by providing O2
to human beings and absorbing CO2 by human beings.
They provide employment large number of people in
different capacities as wood cutters, carriers etc.

18. The history of the exploitation of forest is as old as man
himself but during older times, the exploitation was
balanced through natural growth of forest because at that
time , exploitation was only for personal and community
uses. But in recent year , depletion of forest has been on a
large scale.

19. Expansion of agriculture, more forest have been cleared for
agriculture.
Large area of forest lands have been cleared for
urbanization and human settlement.
Commercial exploitation of forest .
Forest fires .
Mining activities in forest areas.
Forest diseases are also partly responsible for depletion
forest.

20. It has contributed to rise in temperature.
It has contributed to lesser precipitation.
It is responsible for increased rate of soil erosion
It is responsible for increase in the frequency
and volume of floods .
it has lead to loss of soil productivity.
It is responsible for loss of biodiversity.
It has lead to extinction of several species of
plants and animals.
It has caused imbalance in ecosystem.

22. It means reckless or large-scale felling or cutting
of trees by man for commercial and other
purposes.
The FAO(Food and Agriculture Organization) of
the UN defines ”change of forest with depletion of
tree crown cover more than 90%.”

24. Desertification.
Soil degradation and soil erosion.
Loss of vegetation cover.
Destruction of natural habitat and loss of wildlife.
Changes in climatic condition.
Environmental pollution.
Damage to ecosystem
Reduction in soil moisture.

26. Prevention of human settlement in forest areas.
Check on expansion of agriculture into forest
lands.
Prohibition of setting up of agriculture into forest
lands
Check on reckless cutting of trees.
Controlled mining in forest areas.
Check on construction of large dams in forest
areas.
Control on over grazing in forest areas.

27. Regulated and planned cutting of trees.
Control over forest fires.
Reforestation.
Check on forest clearance for agriculture and
human habitation and settlement.
Development green belt around cities.
Check on mining activities in forest areas.
Protection of existing forest.
Conservation of threatened species of trees.

28. Social forestry and agro-forestry.
Development of national parks and game
sanctuaries.
Development of botanical gardens
Development of seed banks.
Forest management.
Proper role of government in forest conservation

32. A graphical distribution of the locations of water
on Earth
A graphical distribution of the locations of water on Earth.

33. Use of water
Graphic organizer

35. SOURCES:
Surface water is water in a river, lake or fresh
water wetland. Surface water is naturally
replenished by precipitation and naturally lost
through discharge to the oceans, evaporation,
evapotranspiration and sub-surface seepage.

36. Although the only natural input to any surface
water system is precipitation within its watershed,
the total quantity of water in that system at any
given time is also dependent on many other
factors.
These factors include storage capacity in lakes,
wetlands and artificial reservoirs, the permeability
of the soil beneath these storage bodies, the runoff
characteristics of the land in the watershed, the
timing of the precipitation and local evaporation
rates. All of these factors also affect the
proportions of water lost.

37. Sub-surface water, or groundwater, is fresh water
located in the pore space of soil and rocks.
It is also water that is flowing within aquifers
below the water table. Sometimes it is useful to
make a distinction between sub-surface water that
is closely associated with surface water and deep
sub-surface water in an aquifer (sometimes called
"fossil water").

38.  Ground water Transfer

39. Sub-surface water can be thought of in the same terms
as surface water: inputs, outputs and storage.
The critical difference is that due to its slow rate of
turnover, sub-surface water storage is generally much
larger compared to inputs than it is for surface water.
This difference makes it easy for humans to use sub-
surface water unsustainably for a long time without
severe consequences. Nevertheless, over the long term
the average rate of seepage above a sub-surface water
source is the upper bound for average consumption of
water from that source.

40.  The natural input to sub-surface water is
seepage from surface water. The natural
outputs from sub-surface water are springs
and seepage to the oceans.
 If the surface water source is also subject to
substantial evaporation, a sub-surface water
source may become saline. This situation can
occur naturally under endorheic bodies of
water, or artificially under irrigated farmland.

41. FLOOD

42. Torrential rain
Urbanisation increases surface
run-off

43. Dam collapse
Tsunami caused by underwater earthquake
Snow melt

44. Monsoon rain
Global warming
Deforestation

45. 1. Control the water level
dams
pumping stations
2. Build barriers
embankments
flood walls
3. Alter the river’s cha el
Straighten it
Widen and deepen it
4. Control land use around the river (land use zoning)

46. Creation of
Dam and
pumping
station

50.  Minerals are naturally occurring substances that have a definite
internal structure.
 They are defined by Geologists as “homogenous, naturally
occurring substances with a definable internal structure”.
 They are found in various forms and are used for a variety of
purposes.
E.g., Diamond, limestone, fluoride, aluminium etc.

51. Minerals
Metallic
Ferrous
Iron ore,
manganese,
nickel
Non-
Ferrous
Copper,
lead, tin,
bauxite
Precious
Gold, silver,
platinum
Non-
metallic
Mica, salt,
granite,
potash,
sulphur,
limestone,
marble
Energy
Minerals
Coal Petroleum Natural Gas

58.  Mining is done to extract minerals (or fossil fuels) from deep
deposits in soil by using sub-surface mining or from shallow
deposits by surface mining.
 The former method is more destructive, dangerous and
expensive including risks of occupational hazards and
accidents.

59.  Pulmonary diseases caused by dust and noxious fumes from
mines.
 I u datio a d fires i i es a d collapsi g of the i e’s
roof pose a serious threat to i ers’ lives.
 Mining contaminates nearby water sources owing to dumping
of waste and slurry.
 Land degradation is caused as land is dug deep for mining.
This makes it unsuitable for any further use after the mining
site is abandoned.

60. The activities are as follows:
 (i) Devegetation and defacing of landscape
 (ii) Subsidence of land
 (iii) Groundwater contamination:

61.  (iv) Surface water pollution
 (v) Air pollution:
 (vi) Occupational Health Hazards

62.  The issue related to the limits of the mineral resources in our
earth's crust or in the ocean is not so significant. More
important environmental concern arises from the impacts of
extraction and processing of these minerals during mining,
smelting etc.

63.  Indian Scenario: India is the producer of 84
minerals the annual value of which is about Rs.50,000 crore.
At least six major mines need a mention here which are known
for causing severe problems:
 (i) Jaduguda Uranium Mine, Jharkhand—exposing local people to
radioactive hazards.
 (ii) Jharia coal mines, Jharkhand—underground fire leading to land
subsidence and forced displacement of people.
 (iii) Sukinda chromite mines, Orissa—seeping of hexavalent
chromium into river posing serious health hazard, Cr6+ being
highly toxic and carcinogenic. of groundwater.

64.  (iv) Kudremukh iron ore mine, Karnataka—causing river pollution
and threat to biodiversity.
 (v) East coast Bauxite mine, Orissa—Land encroachment and
issue of rehabilitation unsettled.
 (vi) North-Eastern Coal Fields, Assam—Very high sulphur
contamination

65. Conservation of minerals is necessary because
Mineral formation is an extremely slow process.
Hence, rate of consumption should not overshoot the
rate of replenishment.
Only one percent of the total mineral deposits are
accessible.
Minerals are a limited resource and will get exhausted
if not used judicially.

66.  The low-grade ores can be better utilized by using microbial-
leaching technique.
 This biological method is helpful from economic as well as
environmental point of view.
Restoration of mined areas by re-vegetating them

68. Meaning
o Energy is the amount of force or power when applied
can move one object from one position to another.
o Energy defines the capacity of a system to do work.
o Energy exists in everybody whether they are human
beings or animals or non living things. e g: Jet, Light,
Machines etc..
o Energy is intimately related to power.

69. o Energy and environment have a strong relationship. The
production and consumption of energy is one of the
biggest causes of environmental damage on earth.
o It leads to large amounts of destruction of natural
landscapes and habitants through the process of fuel
extraction, pollution of soil, climate change
o Energy is at the heart of many of the world’s current
environmental problems, and posses many problems for
the sustainable development

70. Global
Warming
Acid Rain
Smog
Neurological
Toxins
Cancer
Asthma
Energy
Production

71. o Energy can have many forms: kinetic, potential, light,
sound, gravitational, elastic, electromagnetic or nuclear.
o Energy are broadly classifies into two main groups:
Renewable Energy
Non-renewable Energy

72.  Renewable energy can be generated continuously
practically without decay of source.
 Important types of renewable energy are:
 Solar energy
 Wind energy
 Geothermal energy
 Hydro energy
 Biomass

73.  Solar energy, radiant light and heat from
the sun, has been harnessed by humans
using various equipments.
 Solar powered electrical generation
relies on heat engines and
photovoltaic's.
Examples :
 Solar cooker
 Solar heater
 Solar cells
 Advantages
 Solar energy doesn’t produce Carbon dioxide.
 It have minimal impact on environment.
 Disadvantages
 It is not constant, it depends on weather
conditions,time,location.
SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR HEATER

74.  Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the sun harnessed using a range
of ever-evolving technologies such as solar heating, solar photovoltaic, solar
thermal energy, solar architecture and artificial photosynthesis.
 It is an important source of renewable energy and its technologies are
broadly characterized as either passive solar or active solar depending on
the way they capture and distribute solar energy or convert it into solar
power.
 Active solar techniques include the use of photovoltaic systems,
concentrated solar power and solar water heating to harness the energy.

76.  wind energy generated by wind turbines
is mainly used to generate electricity.
 Advantages :
 Wind turbines (often called windmills) do not
release emissions that pollute the air or
water.
 Disadvantages :
 Installation and maintenance cost is very
high.
 Only few places are there in world where
wind blow continuously throughout the year.
WIND TURBINES

77.  Geothermal energy is the heat from the Earth.
 It's clean and sustainable.
 Resources of geothermal energy range from the shallow ground to hot
water and hot rock found a few miles beneath the Earth's surface, and
down even deeper to the extremely high temperatures of molten rock
called magma
 E.g.
 Hot springs
 Fumaroles
 Geysers
Fumaroles

78. HOT SPRINGS
Advantages :
 carbon dioxide emission levels are very low. They release less than 1% of the carbon
dioxide.
Disadvantages :
Installation cost is very high.
Release various kind of harmful gases.

80.  Hydro energy is generally
generated form running water
using various mechanical methods.
 E.g. :
 Dams
 Tidal Barrages
 Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC)
system
Advantages :
 Produces very less amount of carbon
dioxide.
 It is also being used to control flood and for
irrigation purposes.
Disadvantages:
 Natural environment is destroyed.
Hydroelectric Dam

81.  Biomass is organic material made
from plants and animals
(microorganisms).
 When burned, the chemical energy
in biomass is released as heat .
 E.g. -
 Methanol (from animal waste)
 Ethanol
 Biodiesel(liquid biomass)
 Advantages :
 Equipment(biogas plant) installation cost is
less.
 Helps in garbage reduction.
 Disadvantages :
 Releases high amount of sulphurous gases.

83. A nonrenewable resource is a natural resource that
cannot be re-made or re-grown at a scale comparable
to its consumption.

84.  An energy resource that is not replaced or is replaced only very
slowly by natural processes
 Fossil fuels are continually produced by the decay of plant and animal
matter, but the rate of their production is extremely slow, very much
slower than the rate at which we use them.
Coal, petroleum, and natural gas are considered nonrenewable
because they can not be replenished in a short period of time.
These are called fossil fuels.
Types:
Coal
Oil
Nuclear
Natural Gas
Tar Sands and Oil Shale

86. • A carbon-based liquid formed from fossilized animals.
• Lakes of oil are sandwiched between seams of rock in the
earth.
• Pipes are sunk down to the reservoirs to pump the oil out.
• Widely used in industry and transport.
• Oil is a ready-made fuel.
• Relatively cheap to extract and to convert into energy.
• When burned, it gives off atmospheric pollutants,
including greenhouse gases.
• Only a limited supply.

88. Non-renewable sources are easy to use. You can easily fill up
your car tank and power your motor vehicle.
You can use small amount of nuclear energy to produce large
amount of power.
Non-renewable have little or no competition at all.
For egg: if you are driving a battery driven car your battery gets
discharged then you won’t be able to charge it in the middle if
the road rather it is easy to find a gas pumping station.

90.  Non-renewable resource
 Essential for functioning
 Supports all living beings
 But is depleting day by day

91.  What is soil?
◦ The weathered surface of earth’s crust which is
associated with living organism and the products of
their decomposition.
 Pedogenesis - process of soil formation
 The main constituent of land

92.  The process of breaking up of rocks into smaller
particles is called weathering.
 Three types of weathering:
◦ Physical
◦ Climate
◦ Biological

94.  Red soil
◦ Largest soil group
◦ Rich in iron, mangnesium
◦ Found in maximum parts of India.
 Black soil(regur)
◦ Large clay factor,without gravel
◦ Contains high moisture and extrimely sticky
◦ Mostly seen in central India

95.  Laterite soil and lateretic soil
◦ Lack in fertility and low value for production
◦ Contains potash,nitrogen and phosphates
 Alkaline soil(reh,usar)
◦ Found in drier areas
◦ Mostly not suitable for cultivation
◦ Imperious , thus slow drainage
 Mountain and forest soils of himalayan region
◦ Found in depressions of valley and slopes
◦ Provides heavy growth to plants

96. The process by which rocks fragments and soil are detached
from the original site, transported and then eventually
deposited at some new locality is termed as soil erosion.
MEANING

97.  Normal and Geological Soil Erosion
(Erosion done naturally)
 Accelerated soil erosion
(Loss of Soil by Man’s Activity)

98.  Water Erosion
◦ Sheet erosion
◦ Rill erosion
◦ Gully erosion
Wind erosion
◦ Saltation
◦ Suspension
◦ Surface creep
 Landslides or slip erosion
 Biotic agencies cause soil erosion
◦ Overgrazing
◦ Deforestation

99. •Land degradation refers to a decline in the overall
quality of soil, water or vegetation condition
commonly caused by human activities.

100.  Deforestation by fire clearence
 Wind erosion
 Water erosion
 Pollution including industrial wastes
 Poor farming practises
 Livestocks including overgrazing

101.  Loss of quality of soil and decline in vegetation
 salinity/ brackishness of land
 Drought
 Soil erosion
 shortage of fuelwood and building materials in
many areas.

102. •A landslide (or landslip) is a
geological phenomenon which
includes a wide range of
ground movement.
•Such as downward sliding,
falling, or flowing of masses of
soil, rock, and debris.

103.  Falls
◦ Soil or Rock masses freefall from Air.
◦ Generally result from undercutting by erosion.
 Slides
◦ Failure among one or more narrow planes.
◦ Types Of Slides :
 Slumps,
 Glide,
 Rockslide

104.  Flow
◦ Caused by Internal Displacement in Soil.
◦ Types Of Flow :
 Earthflow
 Rockslide

105.  Loss or absence of soil nutrients (e.g. after a wildfire)
 Erosion of the toe of a slope by rivers or ocean waves
 Weakening of a slope through saturation by snowmelt,
glaciers melting, or heavy rains
 Earthquakes
 Volcanic Eruptions

106.  Vibrations from Machinery or Traffic
 Blast’s
 Construction
 Forestry Activities

108.  The transformation of aerable or habitable
land to desert,as by a change in climate or
destructive land use
 Viewed as both a process and the resulting
condition
 Is a global problem
 Leads to abandoned,desert like landscapes

109.  Overgrazing
 Deforestation
 Overcultivation
 Inappropriate irrigation
 Drought
 Climate change

110.  Reduced biological productivity
 Biodiversity loss
 Loss of food security
 Increase in soil erosion
 Decreasing water availability

111.  Afforestation
 Water conservation
 Live-stock management
 Wise-agriculture methods