Natural Resources

Natural Resources
The resources provided to humans can be divided into various 'Spheres' as follows :
Atmosphere - The blanket of various gaseous layers surrounding the earth.
This provides oxygen for human respiration, other animals & also oxygen as part of carbon dioxide;used
for growth of plants. The lowest layer is called Troposphere; only about 12 km thick.The layer above is
called Stratosphere; which is about 50 km thick;contains Ozone(O3) that absorbs the harmful Ultraviolet
radiations from the Sun.The next layer is called Ionosphere; being called so as it contins all the radiowaves
carrying out all the radiowave transmissions.The outermost layer is often referred to as the Exosphere;
that slowly dissolves into the outer space.
Hydrosphere - All the water & related resources comes under this sphere.
Clean drinking water; water for other human purposes; water for agriculture & industry; Seafood
resources like fish, crabs,prawns,seaweed etc.; food from freshwater sources like fish,crustaceans &
aquatic plants. This sphere covers over three-quarters of the earth's, surface.
Lithosphere - All the compnents of soil & minerals comes under this sphere.
Soil is the basis for agriculture; stones-gravel-sand used in construction activities;micronutients in soil are
essential for plant growth; microscopic flora-soil fauna-various soil fungi play important role in
decompos,i,tion of the organic matter of the soil & also the dead oragnic matter of plants & animals;acts
as the storehouse of all the industry-required minerals on earth. Deep & underground soil layers ares the
vital sources of coal-petroleum-natural gas absolutely essential for the survival of the human beings
nowadays.
Biosphere - The intersection of the three spheres in which living organisms exists on earth.
Natural Resource Classification
• Renewable resources are those which can be regenarated after its use;if used sustainably. Ecosystems act as
resource producers & processors. This includes Solar energy- the driving force for earth to function; forest
resources & water resources on which human beings are entirely dependent. These are considered
renewable based on the assumption that they are renewable only within a certain limit & can lose their
ability to regenerate if overused or degraded beyond a certain point.
• Non-renewable resources are those natural resources that takes millions of years to regenerate & are
therefore irrepleaceable after consumption. They are considered non-renewable because they are
consumed at a much faster rate than their regeneration capacity. The fossil fuels as coal;petroleum & natural
gases are the most important examples of these resources that takes millions to years to form.
Natural Resources & associated problems
• The unequal consumption of natural resources - There is a vast inequality in the consumption of
natural resources between the technologically advanced & developed 'Western countries' often
termed as the 'North' like USA & Europe & the relatively poor developing countries consisting of the
rest of the world referred typically to as the 'South' like South-East Asia-Africa-Latin America. The
consumption pattern is often measured in terms of ' Ecological Footprint or EF' of a city or a nation -
a measure of the human demand on the earth's resources to the earth's capacity to regenerate
those resources. The per capita EF indicates the ability of the natural resources to provide for the
consumption demand & lifestyles of a particular area/country/population/community.
• Proper planning of land use is a key factor for the management of the soil & its resources in a
sustainable way.
• Need to adopt sustainable lifestyles is a determining factor to decide the fate of natural resources in
terms of increased longevity; enhancement of knowledge & income- the indicators of sustainable
lifestyles in human life; together called 'The Human Development Index'.
Joint Forest management(JFM)
• A participation of the local forest communities like the various tribal people was increasingly felt
in India durinf the 1970's.
• Afforestation for forest conservation is vital for these people to survive in the forests & thus to
involve them in a productive manner to generate some revenues for the govt as well as the locals
was a growing concern for the government.
• An informal arrangement between local communities & the forest department began in 1972;in
the Midnapore district of West Bengal. JFM has slowly turned into a formal agreement which
identifies & respects the rights & benefits of the local forest communities including the nearby
villagers to forests that they need from the forest resources.
• Forest Protection Committees (FPCs) were formed from within the local cmmunity members to
see to the scheme being implemented at the grassroot level & protect the resorces from being
over-exploited.

Natural Resources

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