UNIT 3

NATURAL RESOURCES

Part 2
 Forest
 Water
Forest Resources
 Forest Resources
• One of the most important natural resources of the
earth.
• Cover approximately 9.4 % of the Earth's surface!
• India is one of the ten most forest‐rich countries of the
world along with the Russian Federation, Brazil, Canada,
United States of America, China, Democratic Republic of
the Congo, Australia, Indonesia and Sudan.

• Together, India and these countries account for 67

percent of total forest area of the world!
 Global forests

Forest
Other wooded land
Other land
Water

• Forests comprise 4 billion ha (30% of land surface, 434 billion m3)

• 89% natural (36% primary and 53% modified)

Source: FAO Global Forest Resource Assessment

 Global forests: recent changes

>0.5% decrease per year >0.5% increase per year Change rate <0.5% per year

Source: FAO Global Forest Resource Assessment

 Forest Degradation in India
• Beginning of 20th century: about 30 % of land
• End of 20th century: about 19.4% of land.

• As a result of exploitation, the tropical forest cover in

India, is now only reduced to coastal western Ghats and
northern India

• The National forest policy has recommended 33 % forest

area for plains and 67 % for hills!
 Over‐exploitation of Forests
Deforestation
• The permanent destruction of forest is called deforestation
• Forest are exploited since early times for humans to meet
human demand
 Causes of Deforestation
• Population explosion: Population
explosion is the root cause of all the
environmental problems, vast area of
forests are cleared for human
settlement

• Shifting Cultivation: It is a
traditional agroforestry system in
which felling and burning of forests
followed by cultivation of crop for
few years and abandon of cultivation
allow forests for re-growth cause
extreme damage to forest.
• Growing food demand: To meet the food
demand of rapidly growing population more
and more forests are cleared off for
agricultural purpose.

• Fire wood: Increasing demand of wood for

fuel increases pressure on forests.

• Raw material for wood based industry:

Increasing demand of wood for making
furniture, plywood, paper, match box etc results
into tremendous pressure on forests.
• Infrastructure development: Massive
destruction of forest occurs for various
infrastructure development like, big
dams, highways projects etc.
• Forest fires: Forest fires may be
natural or man made cause a huge loss
of forest
• Over grazing: Overgrazing of land by
cattle result into soil erosion,
desertification.
• Natural forces: Floods, storms, heavy
winds, snow, lightening are some of
the natural forces
 Ways of destruction of forests
Natural Anthropogenic/Man made

• Forest fire • Urbanization

• Climatic change • Commercial harvesting
• Construction, pollution
• Intentional fire
• Mining
Effects of Deforestation
Large scale of destruction of forests leads to a number of adverse
environmental effects.

•Loss of natural habitat of wild animals and plants

•Increased intensity and frequency of natural disasters
•Land Degradation
•Loss of forest products
•Change in climatic conditions
•Siltation of rivers and canals
•Loss of revenue
•Change in water cycle and reduced rainfall
•Increase socio economic problems
 Effects of Deforestation
• Deforestation adversely affects and
damages the environment
• The adverse effect of deforestation are
discussed below:
• Soil erosion: The soil gets
washed away with rain water on
sloppy areas in the absence of trees
leading to soil erosion.
• Expansion of deserts: Due to
strong winds laden by rock dust, land
mass gradually gets converted in
atmosphere.
• Decrease in rainfall : In the
absence of forest, rainfall declines
considerably because forest bring rains
due to high rate of transpiration. It
maintains humidity in atmosphere
• Loss of fertile land: Less rainfall
results into loss of fertile land owing to
less natural vegetation growth.
• Effect on climate: Deforestation
induces global climate change. Climate
becomes warmer due to lack of humidity
in deforested areas, also pattern of rainfall
changes
• Lowering of Water table: Lack of
recharging of underground reservoir,
results into lowering of water table
• Economic Losses: Deforestation will cause
loss of industrial timber and non timber
products
• Loss of biodiversity: Loss of flora and
fauna result into loss of bio-diversity
leading to disturbance in ecological balance
world wide.
• Environmental changes: It will lead to
increase in carbon dioxide concentration
and other pollutants which results in
Global warming.
 Control of Deforestation
• Mining activities should be prohibited

• Cutting of trees should be followed by massive

plantation

• Strict environmental laws should be imposed

• Forest extension should be carried out

• Public awareness regarding medicinal,

environmental and economical significance
 Afforestation
“conversion of bare or cultivated land into forest”
 Afforestation
• The conservation measure against the
deforestation is afforestation. The
development of forest by planting trees
on waste land is called afforestation

• The main objective of afforestation:

• To control the deforestation

• To prevent soil erosion
• To regulate rainfall and
maintain temperature
• To control atmospheric condition by keeping it clean
• To promote planned uses of wasteland
• To Protect forest ecosystem and to get benefits of forest
products.
 Some notable examples in the field of forest conservation

• CHIPKO MOVEMENT –Gauri Devi

• The Green Belt Movement— Wangari Maathai
• Struggle in Amazonia—Chico Mendes
• Red wood trees California—Julia Butterfly
 Forest biodiversity in national strategies and action plans

National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) are important

national tools for the conservation and sustainable use of forest
GOOD PRACTICES

biodiversity, but forests are also addressed in a number of other

strategies and action plans, such as Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers
(PRSPs). PRSPs, NBSAPs, National Forestry Programmes, and other
strategies and plans, must converge towards a holistic approach to natural
resource management at a landscape level.
National Strategy / Action Plan Description Leading International Process Links

National Biodiversity Strategies Main policy document for Secretariat of the Convention [Link]/nbsap
and Action Plans (NBSAPs) national implementation of on Biological Diversity /
CBD
National Forest Programmes National strategy for FAO / UNFF [Link]‐
(NFPs) sustainable forest management [Link]/home/en

National Adaptation National plans for UNFCCC / international [Link]

Programmes of Action (NAPAs) implementation of adaptation implementing organizations /
measures under the UNFCCC bilateral cooperation
agencies
Poverty Reduction Strategy National and regional World Bank and International [Link]/extern
Papers (PSRPs) strategies for development Monetary Fund al/np/prsp/[Link]

National and local forest Basic tool for forest decision‐ National and local forest
inventories and management making at local level administrations
plans
 >> Biodiversity in production forests

According to The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) and

GOOD PRACTICES
the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the
guidelines of protecting bio‐diversity in forest are

1. Establish a forest management plan maintaining the local bio‐

diversity of the area!

2. Plan the allocation of tropical production forests at a landscape

scale !

3. Observe national laws, plans and practices of local communities!

4. Raise public and political awareness on international/national

laws!

5. Coordinate actions of forest owners, users and managers across

landscapes!
 Biodiversity in forest management

>> Agroforestry

Agroforestry is defined as: a land‐use system in which woody perennials

GOOD PRACTICES

(trees, shrubs, palms, bamboos) are deliberately used on the same land
management unit as agricultural crops (woody or not), animals or both,
in some form of spatial arrangement or temporal sequence (ICRAF n.d.).

>> Forest landscape restoration

Three main principles:
1. Restoration of a balanced and agreed‐upon package of forest functions
2. Active collaboration and negotiation among a mix of stakeholders
3. Working across a landscape.

>> Non‐timber forest products (NTFPs)

>> Sustainable Forest Management (SFM)

Before its too late….
WATER: A VALUABLE RESOURCE
Schematic of the water cycle. (Source: US National Weather Service)
 Fresh water or sweet water
 TYPES OF WATER
Saline water or brackish water

 Sources of water
1. Surface water: Surface water is water in a river, lake or
fresh water wetland.
2. Under river flow: The water flowing through rocks and
sediments that underlie the river and its floodplain.
3. Ground water: Groundwater is fresh water located in
the subsurface pore space of soil and rocks.
4. Frozen water: Glaciers and polar ice caps are referred
to as frozen water.
Uses of water
 Overexploitation of Water resources
• Overexploitation, also called overharvesting, refers to
harvesting a renewable resources to the point of reduced
returns. Continued overexploitation can lead to the
destruction of the resource.
• Water exploitation is referred to the extraction of water for
irrigation and human consumption.
• Due to excessive population explosion there has been an
increased need of drinking water and also increased water
requirement in agricultural and industrial sectors for more
production of crops and goods. Overexploitation of water
resources has reached an alarming stage now due to this.
• Improper irrigation, pollution of water due to many reasons
also aggravate water wastage.
 EFFECTS OF WATER EXPLOITATION

There are several environmental processes occurring under

aquifer overexploitation conditions. These processes include
• groundwater table decline,
• subsidence attenuation and drying of springs,
• decrease of river flow,
• increased pollution vulnerability
• Scarcity of drinking water
• Heavy metal biomagnification through water due to extraction from
deeper aquifers will cause severe diseases

Since life without water is impossible, it is bearing a great threat

even for the current generation and obviously for the future
generation water may be regarded as ‘renewable but unavailable
resource’!
 FLOODS
• Floods are the most frequent type of natural
disaster and occur when an overflow of water
submerges land that is usually dry.
• Floods are often caused by heavy rainfall, rapid
snowmelt or a storm surge from a tropical
cyclone or tsunami in coastal areas.
• Floods can cause widespread devastation,
resulting in loss of life and damages to personal
property and critical public health infrastructure.
 There are 3 common types of floods:

• Flash floods are caused by rapid and excessive rainfall that

raises water heights quickly, and rivers, streams, channels or
roads may be overtaken.
• River floods are caused when consistent rain or snow melt
forces a river to exceed capacity.
• Coastal floods are caused by storm surges associated with
tropical cyclones and tsunami.
 EFFECTS OF FLOODS
• Primary effects: The primary effects of flooding
include loss of life and damage to buildings and other
structures, including bridges, sewerage systems,
roadways, and canals. Lack of clean water combined
with human sewage in the flood waters raises the risk
of waterborne diseases which can include cholera,
typhoid and many other diseases depending upon the
location of the flood.
• Secondary and long‐term effects: Economic hardship
due to a temporary decline in tourism, rebuilding costs,
or food shortages leading to price increases is a common
after‐effect of severe flooding. The impact on those
affected may cause psychological damage to those
affected, in particular where deaths, serious injuries and
loss of property occur.
 DROUGHT
• A drought is an event of prolonged shortages
in the water supply, whether atmospheric
(below‐average precipitation), surface water
or ground water.
• A drought can last for months or years, or
may be declared after as few as 15 days.
• It can have a substantial impact on
the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected
region and harm to the local economy.
 CAUSES OF DROUGHT
• Precipitation deficiency
• Dry season
• Drier and hotter weather occurs during El Niño events
• Human activity can directly trigger exacerbating factors
such as over farming, excessive irrigation,
deforestation, and erosion adversely impact the ability
of the land to capture and hold water. Forest clearing
reduces transpiration and rainfall leading to drought.
• Global climate change
 Types of drought
• Meteorological drought occurs when there is a prolonged
time with less than average precipitation.
• Agricultural drought can arise independently from any
change in precipitation levels when either increased irrigation
and soil conditions and erosion triggered by poorly planned
agriculture
• Hydrological drought is brought about when the water
reserves available in sources such as aquifers, lakes and
reservoirs fall below a significant threshold. Hydrological
drought tends to show up more slowly because it involves
stored water that is used but not replenished.
 Consequences of drought
• In the case of environmental effects: lower surface and subterranean
water‐levels, lower flow‐levels increased pollution of surface water, the
drying out of wetlands, more and larger fires, worse health of trees and
the appearance of pests and diseases.
• Economic losses include lower agricultural, forests, game and fishing
output, higher food‐production costs, lower energy‐production levels in
hydro plants, losses caused by depleted water tourism and transport
revenue, problems with water supply for the energy sector and for
technological processes in metallurgy, mining, the chemical, paper, wood,
foodstuff industries etc., disruption of water supplies for municipal
economies.
• Social costs include the negative effect on the health of people directly
exposed to this phenomenon (excessive heat waves), possible limitation of
water supplies, increased pollution levels, high food‐costs, stress caused
by failed harvests, etc. This explains why droughts and fresh water
shortages operate as a factor which increases the gap between developed
and developing countries
 Other consequences of drought
include……..
• Drought can also reduce water quality
• Increase contamination of remaining water‐sources
• Diminished crop growths and yield
• Dust storms: when drought hits an area suffering from
desertification and erosion
• Famine
• Habitat damage, affecting both terrestrial and aquatic wildlife
• Hunger‐drought provides too little water to support food crops.
• Malnutrition, dehydration and related diseases
• Mass migration
• Reduced hydral electricity production
• Social unrest
• War over natural resources, including water and food
• Wildfires such as Australian bushfire become more common during
times of drought and may cause human deaths
 WATER CONFLICT
• A conflict between countries, states, or groups over an access
to WATER RESOURCES
• Historically been a source of tension and a factor in conflicts
that start for other reasons. Conflicts arise for several reasons,
including territorial disputes, a fight for resources, and
strategic advantage.
• Conflicts occur over both freshwater and saline water and
both between and within nations
• As freshwater is a vital, yet unevenly distributed natural
resource, its availability often impacts the living and economic
conditions of a country or region.
• The lack of cost‐effective water supply options in areas like
the Middle East, among other elements of water crisis can put
severe pressures on all water users, whether corporate,
government, or individual, leading to tension, and possibly
aggression.
 CATEGORIES OF WATER CONFLICT
Water conflicts are categorized as follows:
• Control of Water Resources : where water supplies or access to
water is at the root of tensions.
• Military Tool (state actors): where water resources, or water
systems themselves, are used by a nation or state as a weapon
during a military action.
• Political Tool (state and non‐state actors): where water resources,
or water systems themselves, are used by a nation, state, or non‐
state actor for a political goal.
• Terrorism (non‐state actors): where water resources, or water
systems, are either targets or tools of violence or coercion by non‐
state actors.
• Military Target (state actors): where water resource systems are
targets of military actions by nations or states.
• Development Disputes (state and non‐state actors): where water
resources or water systems are a major source of contention and
dispute in the context of economic and social development
 SOME NOTABLE CONFLICTS
• Interstate conflicts occur between two or more
neighboring countries that share a transboundary
water source, such as a river, sea, or groundwater
basin. For example, the Middle East has only 1% of
the world's freshwater shared among 5% of the
world's population.
• According to UNESCO, the current interstate conflicts
occur mainly in the Middle East (disputes stemming
from the Euphrates and Tigris river among Turkey,
Syria, and Iraq; and the Jordan river conflict among
Israel, Lebanon, Jordan and the State of Palestine), in
Africa (Nile river related conflicts among Egypt,
Ethiopia, and Sudan), as well as in central
Asia (the Aral sea conflict among Kazakhstan,
Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan).
 WATER CONFLICTS IN INDIA
• The island of Majuli on the river Brahmaputra has been under
constant threat from floods as well as rising erosion levels.
Tension has simmered between development agencies
responsible for flood control and the local people who have
opposed the structural measures.
• The conflict over sharing of the Beas, Ravi and Sutlej waters
began in 1966, when Haryana was carved out of Punjab and the
new state demanded a share under the Punjab Reorganization
Act which itself is not recognized by Punjab.
• An increase in population, unplanned expansion in the command
area of the river Bhavani in Tamil Nadu and the growing domestic
and industrial demand for water have intensified competition
among water users in the river basin.
SAVE
WATER