Resource – Everything available in our environment, which can be used to satisfy our needs if it is

technologically accessible, economically feasible, and culturally acceptable, is termed as resource.

[Or Resources are the means available for the development of a country. These are the natural or
human made materials, which help to create goods or provide services].
Its characteristics are the following:
a) It has utility: Resources can be used to make a variety of goods and services. It satisfies human
wants.
b) They are normally available in limited quantity: Most of the resources are scarce. They are
exhaustible. We have to use it wisely.
c) Can‟t be used as it is: Most of the resources are in crude form. We have to put effort on it to get
utility or maximum satisfaction.
d) It should be technologically accessible.
Resources can be classified in the following ways –

Based on Origin
Biotic Resources: These are obtained from biosphere and have life such as human beings, flora and
fauna, fisheries, livestock etc.
Abiotic Resources: All those things which are composed of non-living things are called abiotic
resources. For example, rocks and metals.

Based on Exhaustibility
Renewable Resources: The resources which can be renewed or reproduced by physical, chemical or
mechanical processes are known as renewable or replenish-able For example, solar and wind energy,
water, forests and wildlife, etc. The renewable resource may further be divided into continuous or
flow.
Non-Renewable Resources: These occur over a very long geological time. Minerals and fossil fuels
are examples of such resources.

Based on Ownership
a) Individual resources: These are privately owned resources. Village people own land and cattle
whereas urban people own plots, flats or other property. Plantation, pasture lands, ponds, water in the
wells are individual resources.
b) Community owned resources: These are resources accessible to all the members of the
community. Grazing grounds, burial grounds, village ponds, public parks, play grounds, picnic spots
etc are community owned resources.
c) National Resources: All the minerals, water resources, forests, wild life, all the resources with in
the
political boundaries and oceanic area up to 12 nautical miles from the coast belong to national
resources. Roads canals, railways and properties of public character belong to national resources.
d) International resources:
The oceanic resources beyond 200 nautical miles of the Exclusive Economic Zone belong to
international resources. No individual or country can claim it. There are international institutions to
regulate these resources.

Based on the Status of Development

a) Potential resources: Resources, which are found in a region, but have not been utilized, are
potential resources. These resources will be widely used shortly. Wind and solar energy potential in
Rajasthan and Gujarat have not been developed and exploited properly so far.
b) Developed resources: These are the resources surveyed; quality and quantity have been measured
and have been determined for utilization.
c) Stock Resources: Resources in the environment which have the potential to satisfy human needs
but do not have the appropriate technology to have an access come under this category. We
haven‟t so far developed the technology to make inflammable gases like hydrogen and oxygen on a
large scale from water . So it is considered a stock.
d) Reserve resources: These are the subdivision of stock resources and can be put into use by
applying the existing technology but their use has not yet been started. These can be used to meet
our future requirements.
Gandhiji’s opinion about conservation (or over exploitation) of resources –
i) Gandhiji said, „There is enough resources in India for every body‟s need and not for any body‟s
greed‟.
ii) He placed the greedy and selfish individuals and exploitative nature of modern technology as the
root cause for resource depletion at the global level.
iii) He was against mass production and wanted to replace it with the production by the masses.

Exclusive Economic zone:

The UN Convention of the Law of the Sea, 1982, allowed coastal nations to claim a territorial sea of
up to 12 nautical miles.
It also allowed jurisdiction over resources, control over fishing right, scientific research, and
environmental protection in a zone up to 200 nautical miles (370.4 km) offshore. It is known as
Exclusive Economic Zone. Beyond this zone, seabed mineral development will be regulated by an
international body.

Problems of over using resources –

a) Depletion of resources for satisfying the greed of few individuals.
b) Accumulation of resources in few hands, which in turn divided the society in to rich and poor.
c) It has led to ecological crisis such as global warming, ozone layer depletion, environmental
pollution and land degradation.

Sustainable economic development means „development should take place without damaging the
environment, and development in the present should not compromise with the needs of the future
generations.‟

Agenda 21

 It is the declaration signed by world leaders in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on
Environment and Development (UNCED), which took place at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
 It aims at achieving global sustainable development.
 It is an agenda to combat environmental damage, poverty, disease, through global co-
operation on common interests, mutual needs and shared responsibilities.
 One of the major objectives of the Agenda 21 is that every local government should draw its
own local Agenda 21.
Resource Planning in India: “Resource planning is a technique or skill of proper or judicious use of
resources”. Resource planning is a complex process which involves –

 Identification and inventory of resources across the regions of the country. This involves
surveying, mapping, qualitative and quantitative estimation and measurement of the
resources.
  Evolving a planning structure endowed with appropriate technology, skill and institutional set
up for implementing resource development plans.

 Matching the resource development plans with overall national development plans.

Resource conservation:

 Resources are vital for any developmental activity, but irrational consumption and over
utilization of resource may lead to socio economic and environmental problems.
 Conservation of resources is the ethical use to protect valuable resources such as trees,
minerals, wildlife, water etc.
 Conservation of resources is important because natural resources is the main source of our
daily needs, so we need to conserve it as they are limited and make it available for as long as
possible.
 If this resources are abused then it may leads to many environmental problems, so we need to
conserve it to prevent environmental problems and restore ecological balance in order to
ensure sustainable development.
Land as resource: The following are the importance of land as a resource:

 The availability of land is essential to perform economic activities.

 The land is essential to support wildlife and natural vegetation.
 The land is the source of natural minerals.
 It is also used for communication and transport system.

LAND UTILISATION in India

 About 40% is the net sown area

 Forest occupy about 23%
 Cultivable wastes land is about 50%
 The follow land counts about 80%
 The land which is not available for cultivation is nearly 14%
 Land under forest has not increase much from 1960-65 because of the following reasons
 Deforestation for domestic and industrial purpose
 Industrialists want to earn more money and profits
 People are not property aware of the disasters and affect of deforestation.
 Other humans action such as mining quarrying have added to the slow extraction rate of
forests.
LAND DEGRADATION is the process of losing the fertility and productivity of land and turning it
unfit for proper use. It is otherwise lowering the quality of land. Deforestation, careless management
of forests, overgrazing by animals, soil erosion, surface mining and industrial effluents cause land
degradation

CONSERVATION MEASURES
a. Stabilization of sand dunes by growing thorny bushes, preparation of shelterbelts for plants and
control over grazing of animals are some methods of controlling land degradation in arid areas.
b. Moisture conservation and weed control in agricultural lands, regularization of grazing and proper
management of wasteland and control of mining activities are the methods for semi arid areas.
c. Proper discharge and disposal of industrial effluents and wastes after treatment can reduce land
and water degradation in industrial and suburban
SOIL AS A RESOURCE
i.Loose and fragmented uppermost layer of the earth‟s crust, which is useful for plants, is called soil.
It is the basic resources of agriculture.
ii.It consists of both organic and inorganic substances.
iii.The factors that contribute the formation and fertility of soil are rocks, climate, plants and animals,
local topography, chemical and organic changes which takes place in the soil and long period of
time.
Iv Soils are formed by the disintegration and decomposition of rocks under the process of weathering
and erosion. Climate determines the rate of weathering and the type of vegetation. Time provide
maturity to soils.
Classification of Soils
Classification and Properties of the major soil in India
1. Alluvial Soil
Composition: Rich in lime potash, Poor in phosphorous and humus
Formation: Silt brought by rivers
Characteristics: Very fertile, fine grained both in new alluvium (Khadar) and old alluvium
Distribution: Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal
Crops: Rice, Wheat, Sugarcane, Cotton, Oilseeds and Jute
2. Black Soil (Regur)
Composition: Rich in lime, aluminium, calcium, potash, iron, magnesium. Poor in nitrogen
and humus.
Formation: Weathering of volcanic rocks
Characteristics: Water retentive cracks develops when dry
Distribution: Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu
Crops: Cotton, Sugarcane, oilseeds and Tobacco
3. Red and Yellow Soil
Composition: Rich in iron, poor in lime, phosphorous, calcium and nitrogen
Formation: Decomposition of granite, gneiss and metamorphic rocks
Characteristics: Not water retentive. When fertilizers are added, soil become productive
Distribution: Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka
Crops: Bajra, maize, pulses, potatoes, fruits
4. Laterite Soil
Composition: Rich in iron, poor in lime, phosphorous, calcium, nitrogen
Formation: Leaching of laterite rocks
Characteristics: Agriculturally less important. Bricks are made for house construction
Distribution: Peculiar to India- Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Odisha
Crops: Cashew, Tapioca, Coffee and Rubber
5. Forest Soil
Composition: Rich in humus. Poor in potash, phosphorous and lime
Formation: Decomposition of organic matter
Characteristics: Heterogeneous, character changes with parent rocks and climate. Require
good deal of fertilizers.
Distribution: Himalayan region. Western and Eastern Ghats
Crops: Temperate fruits, spices, tea, coffee

Soil Erosion- Removal of soil from one place to another by some natural agent is called soil erosion.
It is the process of taking away or washing away of soil cover by wind or water flow. Soil erosion is
caused by deforestation, heavy rains and running water, overgrazing, winds and slope of the land.
Types of Soil Erosion

Rain Drop or Splash Erosion

Sheet Erosion - It is the uniform removal of soil in thin layers from the land surface caused by the
wind. Land areas with loose, shallow topsoil overlie compact soil are most prone to sheet erosion

Rill Erosion - Rill erosion is a form of water erosion in which the erosion takes places through
numerous narrow and more or not so straight channels called streamlets, or head cuts. Rill is the
most common form of erosion, which you can also observe during heavy rain.

Gully Erosion - Gully erosion occurs due to the runoff of surface water causing the removal of soil
with drainage lines. Gullies when started once, will move by headward erosion or even by slumping
of side walls unless and un-till proper steps will be taken in order to stabilize the disturbance.

Stream Bank Erosion - Bank erosion is nothing but washing up away from banks of a stream or a
river. It is different from the erosion of the bed of a watercourse, that is referred to as scouring. This
type of erosion is also termed as Stream Bank Erosion.

Causes of Soil Erosion

Running water is one of the main cause of soil erosion. Some soil erosion causes are mentioned
below.

Due to Soil Texture - If the texture is loose that is the soil contains more of small grains and of open
structure erodes faster.

Slope - Soil present in a steeper slope more than the soil present at a plane level of the ground.

Intensity or Amount of Rainfall - More intense rain, more erosion. This can be a bit slow if there are
more trees present in the land as the roots of the plants hold soil in a firm manner.

Human Activities - Agricultural practices, deforestation, roads and urbanization and global warming
are a few major causes of soil erosion.

Deforestation - Mismanaged utilization of soil resources like the removal of forest cover causes soil
erosion heavily. Due to increasing land demand, the human is more into deforesting lands. Tree roots
act as a binder of the top layer of the soil.
Few measures of controlling soil erosion –
a) Contour ploughing: Ploughing along the contour lines is known as contour ploughing, which
reduces the flow of water. (hilly areas)
b) Terrace farming: It restricts soil erosion in hilly areas.
c) Strip Cropping: Large fields can be divided into strips. Strips of grass are left to grow between the
crops.
d) Shelter belts and planting thorny bushes: : Planting lines of trees reduce wind force and stream
flow. Planting of thorny bushes help stabilize sand dunes in the desert areas