Class X Chapter 1 Part I

Resource - All such things which are available in our environment and which can
be used to satisfy our needs are termed as a resource. These should be
technologically accessible and affordable.

Resources can be divided in natural, Human made and Human resources.

These resources can be classified in the following ways–

(a) On the basis of origin – biotic and abiotic
(b) On the basis of exhaustibility – renewable and non-renewable
(c) On the basis of ownership – individual, community, national and international
(d) On the basis of status of development – potential, developed stock and
reserves.

On the basis of origin

(i) Biotic- These are acquired from nature and have life, such as, human beings,
flora and fauna, etc. Biotic resources are obtained from the biosphere (living and
organic material), such as forests and animals, and the materials that can be
obtained from them. Fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum are also included in
this category because they are formed from decayed organic matter.
(ii) Abiotic- All non-living things are considered as an abiotic resource. For
example, rocks and metals. In biology and ecology, abiotic components or abiotic
factors are non- living chemical and physical parts of the environment that affect
living organisms and the functioning of ecosystems
On the basis of exhaustibility:
(i) Renewable Resources - The resources that can be renewed or reproduced by
physical, chemical & mechanical processes. These can be continuous or flow For
example solar, tidal and wind energy and biological like plants and animals .

(ii) Non – Renewable Resources – They occur over a very long geological time,
taking millions of years in their formation & get exhausted with their use. These
can be non-recyclable like For eg. minerals, coal Recyclable like all the metals.
Renewable resources are the resources which can be revived, through the natural
process, over time. On the other hand, non-renewable resources are the natural
resources which are not going to be replenished, shortly.

Renewable resources do not become extinct easily, and so they are sustainable in
nature. Conversely, non-renewable resources deplete over time, i.e. they are
exhaustible in nature, which can be ended when they are prone to large scale
consumption.

Renewable resources exist in nature in infinite quantity, but non-renewable

resources are present in limited quantity.

Renewable resources emit less carbon as compared to non-renewable resources.

Hence, they are pollution free and environment-friendly.

As renewable resources are available to us in abundance, they are relatively

cheaper than non-renewable resources, which are costlier. However, the
maintenance cost of renewable resources is higher than that of non-renewable
resources.

The renewable resources regenerate/reproduce itself, faster than it is used up by the

living organisms. In contrast, the non-renewable resources either take centuries to
regenerate itself, or they get extinct, so the scale at which it is regenerated is lower
than that of its consumption.

On the basis of ownership.

Classification of resources on the basis of ownership is as follows :

(i) Individual resources - The resources that are owned privately by individuals,
such as a house , Farm or small factory owned by an individual.
(ii) Community owned resources – The resources that are accessible to all the
members of the society and owned by the government or community , eg. Public
park , grazing grounds, burial grounds, village ponds, etc.
(iii) National resources – All the resources that belong to a nation with in the
political or economic territory of a country such as forests, wildlife, etc. The
country has legal powers to acquire even private property for public good.
(iv) International resources – There are international institutions which regulate
some resources. For example – the oceanic resources beyond 200 nautical miles of
the Exclusive Economic Zone belong to open ocean. No individual country can
utilize these without the concurrence of international institutions.
On the basis of status of development
On the basis of status of development, resources can be utilized as:
(i) Potential resources – Resources that are found in a region but have not yet been
exploited. For example, western part of India has enormous potential for solar and
wind energy, which have not been properly utilized.
(ii) Developed resources - Resources which are surveyed and their quantity is
determined for utilization. Its development depends on technology and level of
their feasibility.
(iii) Stock – Material in the environment which has the potential to satisfy human
needs but due to the lack of technology, we are not able to utilize them. For
example, water is a compound of hydrogen and oxygen, which can be used as a
rich source of energy but due to lack of technology, we cannot use them.
(iv) Reserves - They are the subset of stock which can be put into use with the help
of existing technological skills but they are not being used at present. For example,
water in the dam is a reserve, which can be used in the future.
DEVELOPMENT OF RESOURCES
Resources are vital for human survival as well as for maintaining the quality of
life. It was believed that resources are free gifts of nature. As a result, human
beings used them indiscriminately and this has led to the following major
problems.
• Depletion of resources for satisfying the greed of few individuals.
• Accumulation of resources in few hands, which, in turn, divided the society into
two segments i.e. haves and have nots or rich and poor.
• Indiscriminate exploitation of resources has led to global ecological crises such
as, global warming, ozone layer depletion, environmental pollution and land
degradation.

Sustainable development- Balancing the need to use resources and also conserve
them for the future is called sustainable development. In other words carefully
utilizing resource so that besides meeting the present requirements it also takes
care of the need of future generation is known as sustainable development.
An "unsustainable situation" occurs when natural capital (the sum total of nature's
resources) is used up faster than it can be replenished. Sustainability requires that
human activity only uses nature's resources at a rate at which they can be
replenished naturally.
Sustainable development is based on 4 R’S, i.e., is reuse, recycle, refuse and
reduce.
The basic principles of sustainable development are given below.
a. Respect and care for all forms of life.
b. Improve the quality of human life.
c. Conserve the earth's vitality and diversity.
d. Minimize the depletion of natural resources.
e. Change personal attitude and practices towards the environment.
f. Enable communities to care for their own environment.
Resource conservation
Consuming resources carefully, judicially and giving them time to get
renewed is called resource conservation. It is very necessary to use the
resources very carefully as they are part of our life support system. With the
rapid growth of population, urbanization and industrialization there has been
an increased demand and consumption of resources. This has led to the
overexploitation and depletion of resources.
To prevent misuse, overexploitation and depletion, the conservation of
resources is necessary and it's the need of the hour. In case if we don't
conserve these resources than in our near future we will not be left with
these resources which will make the survival of the human beings very
difficult.

Resource planning: It is a widely accepted strategy for the judicious use of

resources. in a country like India, which has enormous diversity in the availability
of resources. There are regions which are rich in certain types of resources but are
deficient in some other resources. Balanced resource planning is required at the
national, state, regional and local levels.
Resource planning is useful as
(i) It reduces resource exploitation.
(ii) It keeps the environment pollution free.
(iii) Resources are limited, and thus they are required to conserve them for the
future use.
(iv) Resource planning is also required for rapid economic development.

Stages of resource planning:

(i) Identification and inventory of resources across the regions of the country
which involve surveying, mapping and measurement of resources.
(ii) Evolving a planning structure with appropriate technology, skills and
institutions for implementing the resource development plans.
(iii) Match the resource development plans with the overall nation development
plans.
Importance of natural resources.

Answer: (i) They are the main source of our agricultural activities.
(ii) They provide the raw material for the industries.
(iii) All our commercial activities directly or indirectly depend upon them.
(iv) They prove very useful in maintaining the ecological balance.
(v) All the medicines directly or indirectly we get from natural resources.
(vi) For the recreational and tourism purpose.
(vii) Our food, water, oxygen, shelter etc. we get directly or indirectly from natural
resources.

Problems faced due to indiscriminate use of resources:

a. Resources have been depleted for satisfying the greed of a few individuals.

b. The resources get accumulated in a few hands, which in turn, divide the society
into two segments, i.e., haves and have knots or rich and poor.
c. Indiscriminate exploitation of resources has led to global ecological crises such
as global warming, ozone layer depletion, environmental pollution and land
degradation.

d. Human activities like deforestation, over-grazing, construction and mining have

led to soil erosion.

e. Mining sites are abandoned after excavation work .