Module -1

Land: Land as a resource, types of lands, conservation of land forms, deforestation, effect of land use

changes. Soil health, ecological and economic importance of soil, impact of soil degradation on

agriculture and food security, need for soil conservation, sustainable land use planning.
 NATURAL RESOURCES

 “Natural resources can be defined as the resources that exist (on the planet) independent of human
actions.”

 These are the resources that are found in the environment and are developed without the intervention of
humans.

 Common examples of natural resources include air, sunlight, water, soil, stone, plants, animals, and fossil
fuels.

 The natural resources are naturally occurring materials that are useful to man or could be useful under
conceivable technological, economic or social circumstances or supplies drawn from the earth supplies
such as food, building and clothing materials, fertilizers, metals, water, and geothermal power.

 For a long time, natural resources were the domain of the natural sciences.
Renewable

• Renewable resources are the ones that are consistently available regardless of their use. They can be fairly
recovered or replaced after utilization.

• Examples include vegetation, water, and air.

• Animals can also be categorized as renewable resources because they can be reared and bred to reproduce
offspring to substitute the older animals.

• As much as these resources are renewable, it may take tens to hundreds of years to replace them.

• The renewable raw materials that come from living things namely animals and trees are termed as organic
renewable resources while those that come from non-living things such as sun, water and wind are termed as
inorganic renewable resources.
Non-Renewable

 Non-renewable resources are the ones that cannot simply be substituted or recovered once they have been utilized
or destroyed.

 Examples of such natural resources include fossil fuels and minerals. Minerals are categorized as non-renewable
because, even though they take shape naturally through the rock cycle, their formation periods take thousands of
years.

 Some animals mostly the endangered species are similarly regarded as non-renewable because they are at the verge
of extinction. It brings about the many reasons the endangered species have to be protected by all means.

 The non-renewable materials that come from living things such as fossil fuels are known as organic non-renewable
resources while those that come from non-living things such as rocks and soil are referred to as inorganic non-
renewable resources.
 Differences between Renewable and Non-Renewable
Resources
Aspect Renewable Resources Non-Renewable Resources
Resources that can be naturally replenished within a short Resources that are finite and cannot be easily
Definition
period of time. replaced in human lifetimes.
Solar energy, wind energy, hydropower, biomass, Fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas), minerals
Examples
geothermal energy. (iron, copper), nuclear energy.
Formed deep within the Earth's crust over
Source Usually comes from nature and is naturally replenished.
millions of years.
Often have a higher environmental impact, as
Generally have a lower environmental impact, as they
Environmental Impact their extraction and use can lead to pollution
produce fewer pollutants and greenhouse gases.
and climate change.
Will eventually run out and cannot be replaced
Sustainability Can be used indefinitely if managed properly.
within our lifetimes.

Often used for electricity generation and can power homes Used for electricity generation, transportation,
Energy Production
and vehicles. and various industrial processes.

Limited availability and concentrated in

Availability Widely available and can be harnessed in many regions.
specific areas.
Prices may fluctuate but are generally more stable over Prices can be volatile due to supply and
Price Stability
time. demand dynamics.
Major contributors to climate change due to
Impact on Climate Change Tends to have a smaller contribution to climate change.
greenhouse gas emissions when burned.
Focus on finding alternatives and reducing
Conservation Efforts Focus on sustainable management and reducing waste.
consumption to extend availability.
TYPES OF NATURAL RESOURCES

1. Land Resources

2. Forest Resources

3. Water Resources

4. Energy Resources
 LAND RESOURCES
 Land as a resource: Landforms such as hills, valleys, plains, river basins and wetlands include different resource
generating areas that the people living in them depend on.

 Many traditional farming societies had ways of preserving areas from which they used resources. Eg. In the ‘sacred
groves’ of the Western Ghats, requests to the spirit of the Grove for permission to cut a tree, or extract a resource, were
accompanied by simple rituals.

 The outcome of a chance falls on one side or the other of a stone balanced on a rock gave or withheld permission. The
request could not be repeated for a specified period.

 If land is utilized carefully it can be considered renewable resource.

 The roots of trees and grasses bind the soil. If forests are depleted, or grasslands overgrazed, the land becomes
unproductive and wasteland is formed.

 Intensive irrigation leads to water logging and salination, on which crops cannot grow.

 Land is also converted into a non-renewable resource when highly toxic industrial and nuclear wastes are dumped on it.

 Land on earth is as finite as any of our other natural resources.

 While mankind has learnt to adapt his lifestyle to various ecosystems world over, he cannot live comfortably for instance
on polar ice caps, on under the sea, or in space in the foreseeable future.
Types of Land

1. Residential or Urban Land

 Nowadays residential lands are covered by human basic needs and facilities surrounded by school zones,

college zones, campuses, stationery stores, grocery stores, textile shops, some industries, parks, children’s

playgrounds, and many more. A lot of apartments are covered over the area called residential areas

 However, the ancient residential land was 100 meters or 200 meters away, far from one apartment to another

and with less basic amenities.

 In every part of this modern world, districts and states are very well developed and developing, and villages

are developing with technological equipment like agriculture, transport facilities, electricity connections,

communication facilities, factories in the neighborhood, shopping malls., Industrial Zone & Commercial

Complexes, Companies.
Commercial Land
 Residential land is utilized exclusively for living purposes and commercial land is utilized for Public or
commercial purposes.
 The Land which is allocated to use for commercial purposes is known as Commercial Land, when looking for the
term commercial the land hosts Shopping malls, Park or groceries, Complexes, Industries, Restaurants, and
Warehouses
 Since commercial land is a one-time investment, land, and building are more expensive
 From this, a person gets a higher return on investment, and business building values are measured by the location
and growth of its areas.
 Compared to Residential land, commercial land is more expensive and more expensive to maintain
 It is a global fact that 30% of all areas, districts, and countries of India are occupied by commercial sectors, the
sudden rise of commercial sectors provides exclusive employment opportunities to all the people around, basically,
the land is used for industry or office buildings, restaurants, shops and other businesses choosing the right land is
very important and This will lead to success.
Investment Land

 For those who are willing to spend their time and money, investment land will become an unbeatable asset.

 Investing in an undeveloped area will bring more returns in the future or the next generation

 Having property in an underdeveloped area motivates an investor in the future to provide people with basic

necessities such as shops, apartments or shopping malls.

 It is also one of the Types of Land

 Investing in a piece of land is a very wise idea as it is not created when investing in resale property, but its value is

increased in the future and the importance of resale land is determined by the surrounding developments.

 A person can invest in 2 things one is gold and another one is land because the ROI of land can increase rapidly and it

is a long-term investment.
Wet Land

 Wet lands are covered by water and connected with land, also maintaining the productive Ecosystem in the

world and some of the wetlands are often covered by Fresh or Salty water.

 The wetlands are Characterized as Bays, Ponds, Lakes, Rivers and also Oceans. It is also be categorized and

seems like

1. Marshes

2. Swamps

3. Bogs and

4. Fens
Range Land
 Naturally, Rangeland is an unaltered land that is ideal for Grazing of livestock, plants, Forbes & Shrubs.
 It has been Characterized as Forest, Desert, Farmland, Pasture and Industrial or urban.
 It always looks like an isolated condition and discontent.
 It’s also Types of Land.
 Perhaps Grazing animals are infected with Toxic and poisonous plants in the rangeland, which can cause illness or death to
the animals.
 Rangeland is not good for the daily lives of humans because it is often plagued by poverty and food insecurity. So it also
leads to a lack of education, medicine and market opportunities.
Agricultural or Farm Land
 Agricultural land is also referred to as farmland.
 India is very popular for agricultural activities like cultivating rice, oats, wheat, flowers, fruits, vegetables and livestock.
 Agricultural Land is also included in Types of land.
 Worldwide, 50% of the population is engaged in agriculture. It is used for agriculture and a house cannot be built on a farm
without permission.
Forest Land

 The forest land is completely covered with trees, which produce timber and wood products, and with the

increase in population, man used the land by clearing the forest to meet his needs.

 Naturally, this is an Important wealth of the country

 This is also one of the types of land

 These are the types of Forests

1. Tropical Forest

2. Temperature Forest

3. Boreal Forest
Boreal forest (taiga)

Boreal forests are also known as taiga and are found in the northern part of the planet (we
can see it in blue on the map).

More specifically, they are mainly located between 50º and 60º latitude. Due to their
location, these are the coldest forested regions and their temperatures can oscillate greatly
according to season and location.

They generally vacillate between the maximum temperature of 20 ºC/68 ºF in summer and -
60 ºC/-76 ºF in winter (in areas of Siberia and the East).

These are very large regions that occupy parts of various countries (Alaska, Canada,
Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia).
Temperate forest

 Another type of forest depending on the climate and the latitude in which they are found is

the temperate forest. These are the forested regions that are found in the part of the planet

that has the most temperate or less extreme climate. For this reason, they are found in both

hemispheres, although it is more abundant in the northern part (it is marked in green on

the map).

 These are regions with moderate temperatures, usually abundant rainfall and animals that

hibernate or migrate depending on the time of year. The soil in these areas is very rich and

fertile. This is thanks to the very dense plant cover and the humidity levels and warm

temperatures. This is conducive to the development of the organic-matter part of soil known

as humus, which is a great fertilizer. The forests of the Mediterranean area are good

examples of these types of mild climate zones. These forests support a diverse range of
Barren Land

 Barren land is a desert land, it is made of soil, the tree has no chance to grow even the plant, barren land is dry and

bare, it is also called wasteland & Desolation

 Cultivation in sterile land is useless

 In a barren land, the plant has no potential for stunted, rare and limited biodiversity in the ground.

 The Factors that affect plant growth and development are infertile soil, high aeration, Coastal Salt-spray and

climatic conditions

 It is also denoted as a type of land

 There is a chance to turn barren land into the forest, but it takes 3 years of patience and proper techniques. It will

take up to 5 years of the time period

 In India, 6% is barren and uncultivated areas such as mountains, deserts and Ravines are found.
Conservation of Landforms

Land use change: The most damaging change in land use is demonstrated by the rapidity with which forests have vanished

during recent times, both in India and in the rest of the world. Forests provide us with a variety of services. These include

processes such as maintaining oxygen levels in the atmosphere, removal of carbon dioxide, control overwater regimes, and

slowing down erosion and also produce products such as food, fuel, timber, fodder, medicinal plants, etc. In the long term,

the loss of these is far greater than the short term gains produced by converting forested lands to other uses.

Land degradation: It is a process of deterioration of soil or loss of fertility. Due to increasing population, the demands for

arable land for producing food, fiber and fuel wood is also increasing. Hence there is more and more pressure on the limited

land resources which are getting degraded due to over-exploitation. Nearly 56% of total geographical area of the country is

suffering due to land resource degradation. Out of 17-million-hectare canal irrigated area, 3.4 million hectares is suffering

from water logging and salinity.

Effects of land degradation:

1. Soil texture and soil structure are destructed.

2. Loss of soil fertility.

3. Loss of valuable nutrients.

4. increase in water logging, salinity, alkalinity and acidity problem.

5. Loss of economic social and biodiversity.

Causes of land degradation:

1. Population: More land is needed for producing food, fiber and fuel wood. So land is degraded due to over

exploitation.

2. Urbanization: Urbanization reduces the agricultural land. Urbanization leads to deforestation, which in turn

affects millions of plants and animals.

3. Fertilizers and pesticides: It affects fertility of the soil and causes land pollution.

4. Damage of top soil: Increase in food production generally leads to damage of top soil through nutrient depletion.

5. Water logging, soil erosion, salination and contamination of the soil with industrial wastes and cause land

degradation.
Conservation of land forms

 From coulees to bottomland forests, from glacial drumlins to barrier beaches, from scoured scablands to isolate mesas,

landforms and ecological landscapes inspire us with their beauty and wildness.

 A landowner who admires a particular topographic feature or habitat type on his property can pursue a few tracks in

protecting it – though, of course, inexorable geologic and climatic processes will ultimately transform or destroy it.

 Identify topographic and ecological landmarks of significance. That’s a subjective call, of course: You might admire a

particular bluff or outcrop for its aesthetic form, while recognizing the ecological importance – and more subtle beauty – of a

floodplain swamp or a gentle swale.

 Understand a particular landform’s formation and position in the ecological landscape. It’s difficult to preserve a

topographic feature without appreciating its geomorphology – the geological processes by which it was created, from uplift

or frost wedging to volcanism or stream-cutting.

 Appreciate the transience of landforms by considering their natural evolution. For example, a stretch of badlands along a
river system in semi-arid rangeland is destined to be worn away by erosive forces. While this can take hundreds of
thousands of years, steps in the process may occur – a strong flood calving off the pinnacles of a particular bench, for
example – and appreciating the underlying geology can allow you to make peace with those little destructions.
 Avoid de-vegetating the landform or its vicinity, if that’s its natural condition.
 Cutting down trees or clearing shrubs and grasses from its sloping walls can greatly enhance the erosive effects of
rainfall and surface water.
 Vegetation stabilizes soils and also slows down, redirects and disperses run-off. Without its influence, a barren slope can
quickly lose soil during precipitation events and through ordinary drainage regimens, increasing sediment contributions to
the creek and riddling the ravine with deep gullies and landslides.
 Replicate natural landscape patterns and processes. Channelizing or altering a stream’s course can have profound
implications for its landforms, such as gravel bars, floodplain wetlands and the like.
 Allowing, where possible, the natural flooding and ebbing of a watercourse in its valley maintains alluvial
features such as these.
 Prescribed burning can keep shrubs and saplings from crowding out a prairie or savanna habitat, or maintain
an open pine woodland as wildfire typically does.
 Create a park or preserve. This applies more to organizations or government entities, but private landowners
can always investigate donating portions of their properties to ensure long-term protection for noteworthy
landforms.
 Many of the world’s national parks were established, in part, to protect landforms
 Minimizing overgrazing.
 Reforestation and Afforestation.
 Controlling soil erosion.
 Judicious use of natural resources.
 Scientific methods of agricultural methods
 Maintaining environmental harmony.
Deforestation
 The word deforestation is used to describe the process of cutting down and burning the trees in forest and woodland and
converting the land to other use. It also means that the nature of trees has changed, such as replacing slow growing native
trees with fast growing woods which means that the precious eco-system of the forest into less bio-diverse ecosystems
such as pasture, cropland, plantations and removal of rainforest. Forests still cover about 30 percent of the Earth’s surface,
but each year about 13 million hectors of forest (approximately 78,000square miles) are converted to agricultural land or
cleared for other purposes.
 There are two key issues that surround deforestation. Trees absorb CO2, helping to reduce the amount of carbon in the
atmosphere. Carbon is one of the key causes of global warming and reducing these gases will help to slow and stop the
greenhouse effect.
 The other issue is that trees are often cleared and burned. The wood from the trees is simply destroyed and not put to any
positive use. The burning of the wood releases carbon into the atmosphere, and releasing harmful greenhouse gases, yet
reducing the number of trees that would have helped to remove this from the atmosphere. It also contributes to global
warming tropical deforestation for about 20 percent of all greenhouse gases and has an important impact on the global
economy.
 Causes of Deforestation

 Some of the most common causes of deforestation are globalization, urbanization, overpopulation and climate.

 Trees are being cut down for construction purpose, lands are cleared for growing crops and trees are also used as
firewood.

 Globalization in many countries has led to deforestation as many industries and factories are build which emit carbon
dioxide which affect the trees and forest. India and china are a big example.

 China being a big market for producing and supplying many products in various parts of the world for which trees and
forest are used to produce product.

 Urbanization also leads to deforestation as the country develops the cutting down of trees for the use of building
materials, furniture, paper products and material used for highway and roads.

 Forests are also cleared in order to accommodate expanding urban areas. They are cut down in order to create land for
grazing cattle and for growing crops.

 Trees are also cut down in developing countries to be used as firewood or turned into charcoal, which are used for
cooking and heating purposes.
 Soil health

 Healthy soil is that which allows plants to grow to their maximum productivity without disease or pests and without
a need for off-farm supplements.

 Healthy soil is teeming with bacteria, fungi, algae, protozoa, nematodes, and other tiny creatures.

 Those organisms play an important role in plant health.

 Soil bacteria produce natural antibiotics that help plants resist disease.

 Fungi assist plants in absorbing water and nutrients.

 Together, these bacteria and fungi are known as “organic matter.” The more organic matter in a sample of soil, the
healthier that soil is.
Quantifying healthy soil

• To determine if soil is healthy, farmers and scientists measure several factors. How many microorganisms are

present? How many nutrients—nitrogen, for example—are in the soil?

• How well does the soil retain water during drought? How much carbon can the soil sequester from the

atmosphere?

• At Rodale Institute, our scientists collect soil samples in the field. Back in the lab, they dry and weigh the samples

before analysis.

• Our research has shown that while conventional systems erode and deplete soils, organic systems improve and

build the soil over time.

 The Importance of Soil on Life

 It’s evident that our planets’ soils are facing severe challenges.

 Urbanization, pollution, unsustainable land use and climate change all negatively impact soil.

 The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has highlighted soil as a serious cause for concern.

 They stated that “the current rate of soil degradation threatens the capacity to meet the needs of future generations”.

 They now advocate for the promotion of sustainable soil practices.

 This will work towards securing a productive food system.

 It will improve all livelihoods. It will lead to a healthy environment.

 It’s important to microorganisms. Plants rely on it. Animals need it.

 Humans won’t survive without it. It’s undeniable.

 The importance of soil on life is a matter of life or death.

Soil and the Economy

• Soil plays a crucial role in the economy of countries. Farming and agricultural industries are probably the most

reliant upon soil, particularly in respect to crop production, which has risen dramatically in the last 50 years in

order to cope with the demands of an equally rapidly growing global population.

• The demand for more crops has increased the demand for plant nutrients in the form of fertilizers. For a long

time, many farms relied on animal manure for this. However, most farms in the west now use artificial fertilizers,

because it allows more control over which nutrients should be applied to the soil and when.
 Impact of soil degradation on agriculture and food security

 Soil degradation refers to decline in the soil’s productivity through adverse changes in nutrient status, soil organic matter,
structural attributes, and concentrations of electrolytes and toxic chemicals.

 Soil degradation is a process, which lowers the current and/or future capacity of the soil to produce goods or services.

 It has also been defined as the rate of adverse change in soil qualities resulting in decline in productive capacity of land
due to processes induced mainly by human intervention.

 Thus, it implies a decline in soil’s productivity, deterioration in vegetative cover, qualitative and quantitative decline of
water resources, degradation of soils, and pollution of air.

 Degradation is a point of evolution which leads to a reduction of resource potential.

 About 7.40 m ha arable lands globally turn to degraded lands yearly as result of climate change and deforestation.

 The problem of soil degradation has been ever since cultivation of soils started.
1. Soil Erosion

A major factor responsible for the degradation of the natural resources is soil erosion. In general, soil erosion is more severe in

mountainous than in undulating and plain areas. Inappropriate soil management, unsuited to the location like tilling along the slope,

lack of crop cover during heavy rainfall, etc. is responsible for accelerated soil erosion with consequent loss of land productivity.

2. Salinization and Alkalization

The expansion of irrigation has been one of the key strategies in achieving self-sufficiency in food production. The net irrigated area in

India has increased from about 22 M ha in 1950 to about more than 51 M ha at present. In most of the expansion, the area is increased

under canal irrigation that leads to rise in groundwater Table resulting in the soil deterioration through accumulation of salts.

3. Acidity

The largest areas covered by acid soils in India belong to laterites and various latosolic soils e. g. Ferruginous red soils, ferruginous

gravelly red soils, mixed red and black, or red and yellow soils.
4. Soil Organic Carbon Losses
Alfisols, Ultisols and Oxisols are prone to chemical deterioration owing to nutrient depletion due to pedogenic
processes for soil development. The base saturation of these soils is very less specially in Ultisols and Oxisols as
compare to Alfisols. In India, nearly 3.7 M ha is deteriorated due to depletion of organic matter.
5. Nutrient Imbalance
Balanced nutrient supply is essential for achieving high crop yields, but excessive and/or imbalanced nutrient inputs
may pose risk pressure on the environment, human health and ecosystems. Nutrient losses could occur in many ways,
i.e., via emission to the air as NH3, N2O, NO, and N2, and discharge to the water through runoff, leaching and erosion.
6. Pollution/Contamination by Toxic Substances
Both geogenic and anthropogenic factors cause pollution/contamination of soil and water resources. However, their
impact varies with rainfall pattern, and depth and geology of aquifer. There are naturally occurring minerals in
aquitards in different regions, which control the concentration of geogenic pollutants, such as arsenic (As), uranium
(Ur), fluoride (F), boron (B) and selenium (Se) in alluvial aquifers.
 Need of soil conservation
Soil provides the nutrients essential for plant growth, animal life, and millions of microorganisms. However, if soil
becomes unhealthy, unstable, or polluted, the life cycle stops. Soil conservation focuses on keeping soils healthy
through a combination of practices and techniques. Individuals committed to soil conservation help ensure that soil is
fertile and productive, and protect it from erosion and deterioration.
1. Threats to soil conservation
The primary threats to soil conservation are climate change and traditional farming practices, according to the United
Nations. Traditional farming practices include the overuse of harmful pesticides that contaminate soils, slash-and-burn
methods, and land overuse. Soil conservation aims to mitigate these threats.
2. Chemical contamination
The use of pesticides can contaminate the soil, as well as nearby vegetation and water sources, with harmful chemicals.
In addition to contamination, chemicals used on crops can be toxic to important beneficial insects, such as bees, as well
as fish and bird populations.
3. Slash and burn

Slash-and-burn farming is the practice of burning and clearing forests to make way for farmland. This method kills plant

species and displaces wildlife from their natural habitats. Land cleared

using slash and burn is only used while it’s productive for farming. Once it loses its fertility, another patch of forest is

identified for clearing. This unsustainable process repeats endlessly, preventing soil from recovering sufficiently to

support healthy ecosystems.

4. Land overuse

Overuse of land can limit soil’s ability to play its part in the global climate cycle. For example, overcutting forests and

woodlands for timber and overgrazing pastures can far outpace the natural regrowth of vegetation, subjecting soil to

increased exposure to erosion. As a result, land can lose its arability and become a desert.
5. Soil conservation is important for sustainability

For those working in sustainability, an understanding of soil’s role can create opportunities to develop new solutions

and promote stewardship of our environment. Why is soil conservation important for sustainability? Simply put,

without soil conservation, soil erosion would increase. Soil erosion impacts markets worldwide, including $8 billion

in losses due to lower crop yields and increased water usage.

6. Soil is essential to food production.

Crops need soil to grow, and farm animals need vegetation for feed. Conserving soil can help address food insecurity

and promote healthy communities. Soil also helps to create a cleaner climate, absorbing about a third of the carbon

dioxide that fossil fuels and industrial operations emit, according to the Climate Change and Land report from the

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Healthy stewardship of soil can help mitigate climate change’s

impact.
Sustainable Land Use planning
 It ensures a fair and balanced distribution of land, water, biodiversity and other environmental resources between the
various competing claims, in order to secure human needs now and in the future.
 Land use planning is the process of regulating the use of land by a central authority. Usually, this is done to promote
more desirable social and environmental outcomes as well as a more efficient use of resources.
 More specifically, the goals of modern land use planning often include environmental conservation, restraint of urban
sprawl, minimization of transport costs, prevention of land use conflicts, and a reduction in exposure to pollutants.
 In the pursuit of these goals, planners assume that regulating the use of land will change the patterns of human behavior,
and that these changes are beneficial.
 The first assumption, that regulating land use changes the patterns of human behavior is widely accepted. However, the
second assumption - that these changes are beneficial - is contested, and depends on the location and regulations being
discussed.
 In urban planning, land use planning seeks to order and regulate land use in an efficient and ethical way, thus preventing
land use conflicts.
 Governments use land use planning to manage the development of land within their jurisdictions. In doing so, the
governmental unit can plan for the needs of the community while safeguarding natural resources.
Thank You