Bheeshan Ram Nayak S , Department of Environmental science
UNIT-2 : Natural Resources: Renewable & Non-Renewable
resources
➢ Land Resources: The term “land resources” encompasses the physical, biotic,
environmental, infrastructural and socio-economic components of a natural land
unit, including surface and near-surface freshwater resources important for
management.
➢ Land use change: Land use change is a process by which human activities
transform the natural landscape, referring to how land has been used, usually
emphasizing the functional role of land for economic activities.
➢ Land degradation: Land degradation is defined as the reduction or loss of the biological or
economic productivity and complexity of rainfed cropland, irrigated cropland, or range,
pasture, forest or woodlands resulting from natural processes, land uses or other human
activities. Land degradation is due to the activities of human hands which loses all the fertility
and quality of soil. This is very dangerous to nature which causes further disasters.
❖ Causes of land degradation
• Soil pollution
• Soil Erosion
• Overgrazing
• Extraction of minerals at a repeated stage
• Drought
❖ Control measures of land degradation
Listed below are few control measures of land degradation
• Afforestation and proper management of grazing land.
• Control on mining activities.
• Sheltering belts are planted for plants.
➢ Soil erosion :
In this process, the soil particles are loosened or washed away in the valleys, oceans, rivers,
streams or far away lands. This has been worsening due to human activities such as agriculture
and deforestation. Soil erosion is a continuous process that occurs either slowly or at an
alarming rate. It results in a continuous loss of topsoil, ecological degradation, soil collapse,
etc.
❖ Causes of Soil Erosion
Following are the important causes of soil erosion.
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Bheeshan Ram Nayak S , Department of Environmental science
• Agriculture
• Grazing
• Logging and Mining
• Construction
• Rivers and Streams
• Heavy Winds
• Rainfall and Flooding
➢ Desertification (or) degradation of the fertile land:
Desertification is the degradation process by which a fertile land changes itself into a desert by
losing its flora and fauna, this can be caused by drought, deforestation, climate change, human
activities or improper agriculture. Desertification is a process of degradation of the land. It occurs
because of man-made activities and climate change. Desertification takes place when a particular
type of biome converts into a desert biome.
❖ Desertification Causes
1. Overgrazing
2. Deforestation
3. Farming Practices
4. Urbanization and other types of land development
5. Climate Change
6. Stripping the land of resources
7. Natural Disasters
❖ Desertification Impacts
1. Farming becomes difficult or even impossible in the area
2. Flooding chances are more
3. Hunger – because of no farming
4. Poor quality of water
5. Overpopulation
6. Poverty as a result of the above
➢ Deforestation, its causes & effects:
Human-caused or natural causes which lead to the cutting down of trees and reduced forest
areas is called deforestation. Generally, it is the human activities of urbanisation, construction
etc., which have been the major cause of deforestation across the world.
❖ Causes of Deforestation
Given below are the major causes of deforestation:
• Commercial or Industrial Agriculture
• Construction of new buildings, roads, and other infrastructural facilities
• Increased Population
• Mining is another important factor for the increased cutting down of trees and forest areas
• The change in climate is one of the main natural causes which has resulted in loss of
forests
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Bheeshan Ram Nayak S , Department of Environmental science
• Natural calamities
• Unsustainable forest management
❖ Effects of Deforestation
Deforestation has impacted the environment and livelihood of many. Discussed below are a
few of the main effects of deforestation:
• Loss of habitat for various animal and plant species
• Environmental Disbalance is another side effect of deforestation. Due to the absence of
an ample number of trees and forest areas across the globe, the environment and the
atmosphere is facing severe climatic changes
• A lot of people rely on forests for their livelihood. These people are adversely affected
due to deforestation
• It degrades the quality of soil
• The water cycle gets disturbed
➢ Mining : the process of extracting useful minerals from the surface of the Earth, including the seas.
❖ Impacts or effects:
On environment:
• It effects the air & causes the air pollution
• It effects the water & causes the water pollution
• It looses the soil fertility
• Green house gases will be released
• It effects the ozone layer which is protecting from strong UV rays from sunlight
On Biodiversity
• It causes huge sounds which results the loss of biodiversity which cannot tolerate those
huge sounds.
• Due to deforestation some species which is adjusted to the local climatic conditions
cannot survive in other areas.
• While mining there will be release of some chemical wastes, those wastes are released
directly to nearby water bodies then there will be depletion of water ecosystem.
On tribal population
• The people who are working in the mining areas they suffer from bronchitis, lung
cancer & respiratory problems.
• The people suffers from skin diseases like skin cancer, allergies and rashes etc..
• They don’t have the awareness about environmental issues so they’ll be having polluted
air, water & many other things.
➢ Floods: A flood is an overflow of water that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense
of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. (Or) A flood is an
overflow of water on land. Sometimes a river might receive extra water, either from heavy
rains or other natural disasters.
➢ Droughts : The term ‘Drought’ in simple words is the absence of water for a long period of time, at a place where
it is considered abnormal as compared to its usual conditions. The distribution of water on the earth’s surface is
not even.
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Bheeshan Ram Nayak S , Department of Environmental science
➢ Energy resources: It is the property of an object that can be transferred from one object to another or converted
to different forms but cannot be created or destroyed. There are numerous sources of energy. Resources of energy
can be classified into:
• Renewable Sources
• Non-renewable Sources
Renewable sources of energy are available plentiful in nature and are sustainable. These resources of energy can be
naturally replenished and are safe for the environment.
Examples of renewable sources of energy are: Solar energy, geothermal energy, wind energy, biomass,
hydropower and tidal energy.
A non-renewable resource is a natural resource that is found underneath the earth. These type of energy resources
do not replenish at the same speed at which it is used. They take millions of years to replenish. The main examples
of non-renewable resources are coal, oil and natural gas.
Examples of non-renewable sources of energy are: Natural gas, coal, petroleum, nuclear energy, Fossil fuels and
hydrocarbon gas liquids.. Non-renewable energy is energy from fossil fuels such as coal, crude oil, natural gas, and
uranium.
Renewable Non-renewable
The resources that can be renewed once they are The resources that cannot be renewed once they are
consumed are called renewable sources of energy. consumed are called non-renewable sources of energy.
These resources do not cause any environmental
These resources cause environmental pollution..
pollution.
Renewable resources are inexhaustible. Non- Renewable resources are exhaustible.
Renewable resources are not affected by human Non- Renewable resources are affected by human
activities. activities.
Examples of Renewable resources- Air, water and solar Examples of Non-renewable resources- natural gas, coal
energy. and nuclear energy.
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Bheeshan Ram Nayak S , Department of Environmental science
Chapter-4 : BIODIVERSITY & CONSERVATION
❖ Levels of Biological Diversity:
Biodiversity refers to a wide range of living organisms that may be found in all kinds of
environments, including terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic ecosystems, as well as the ecological
communities to which they belong.
There are three main levels of biodiversity: Genetic Diversity (Diversity within species), Species
Diversity (Diversity between species) and Ecosystem/Community Diversity (Diversity between
ecosystems).
✓ Genetic Diversity
• Genetic diversity describes the variety of unique genetic features found in a species.
• There would be many individuals with a wide range of diverse characteristics in a species with
significant genetic diversity.
• For a population to adapt to changing surroundings, genetic diversity is essential.
• A population’s capacity to adjust to changes will be lowered if a highly selected and low
diversity strain, such as fish populations raised for aquaculture, is introduced.
• Those individuals tend to survive to have offspring with that allele (a variant of a given gene).
• The success of these people will allow the population to continue for long generations.
✓ Species Diversity
• The number of different species found in a given area is referred to as species diversity.
• In nature, species do not interbreed because they differ genetically from one another.
• However, closely related species share a lot of their inherited traits.
• For example, 98.4% of the genes in humans and chimps are similar. It is the proportion of a
species’ total population to all the species’ combined total number of organisms in a given
biome.
• “One” denotes the presence of just one species, while “zero” would indicate infinite diversity.
✓ Ecosystem / Community Diversity
• Community diversity, also called ecosystem diversity, defines a community of interacting
groups from different species living in a single habitat.
• The combination of a region’s climate, vegetation, and terrain makes up a habitat. There are
many different types of habitats on the earth.
• Examples of habitats in an environment include corals, grasslands, wetlands, deserts,
mangroves, and tropical rain forests.
• Every species adjusts to a specific type of environment.
• The species that are most adapted to a changing environment become more prevalent.
• As a result, the ecosystem’s features influence the variety or diversity of species present.
❖ Biogeographic zones of India
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Bheeshan Ram Nayak S , Department of Environmental science
India’s biogeographic classification is a division of the country based on biogeographic
characteristics. India has a rich heritage of natural diversity. The study of the distribution of species
(biology), organisms, and ecosystems in geographical space and over geological time is known as
biogeography. India has ten biogeographical zones.
The following are the zones of India:
✓ Trans-Himalayan Region
• It accounts for 5.6% of the total geographical area and includes the high altitude, cold and arid
mountain areas of Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, North Sikkim, Lahaul and Spiti areas of
Himachal Pradesh.
• This zone has sparse alpine steppe vegetation that supports several endemic species and is a
suitable habitat for the world’s largest populations of wild sheep and goats, as well as other
rare fauna such as the Snow Leopard and the migratory Blacknecked Crane (Grus nigricollis).
• This zone’s cold, dry desert is an extremely vulnerable ecosystem.
✓ Himalayan Zone
• It accounts for 6.4% of the total geographical area and contains some of the highest peaks in
the world.
• The Himalayan zone makes India one of the richest areas in terms of habitats and species.
• Location: East, northwest, west, and central Himalayas
• The alpine and subalpine forests, grassy meadows, and moist mixed deciduous forests provide
diverse habitat for endangered bovid species such as Bharal (Pseudois nayaur), Ibex (Capra
ibex), Markhor (Capra falconeri), Himalayan Tahr (Hemitragus jemlabicus), and Takin
(Budoreas taxicolor).
• Other rare and endangered species restricted to this zone include Hangul (Cervus eldi eldi) and
Musk Deer (Moschus moschiferus).
✓ Indian Desert Zone
• The extremely arid region west of the Aravalli hill range, which includes both Gujarat’s salty
desert and Rajasthan’s sand desert.
• The Indian desert forms India’s northern boundary, encompassing primarily the western and
northwestern regions of Rajasthan, as well as a portion of the Kachchh region of Gujarat in the
southwest.
• It is 350-450 metres above sea level in the east at the Aravalli range, 100 metres in the south
and west, and 20 metres in the Rann of Kachchh.
• It has large expanses of grassland that support several endangered species of mammals such as
Wolf (Canis lupus), Caracal (Felis caracal), Desert Cat (Felis libyca), and birds of conservation
interest such as Houbara Bustard (Chamydotis undulate) and the Great Indian Bustard
(Ardeotis nigriceps).
✓ Semi-arid Zone
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Bheeshan Ram Nayak S , Department of Environmental science
• The semi-arid region, which accounts for 16.6% of the total geographical area, is a transition
zone between the desert and the dense forests of the Western Ghats.
• The dominant grass and palatable shrub layer in this zone supports the most wildlife biomass.
• This zone includes the Punjab plains, Delhi, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir’s fringes, Himachal
Pradesh’s western edges, eastern Rajasthan, eastern Gujarat, and northwest Madhya Pradesh.
• The heart of this zone is the Aravalli System, which is home to two types of vegetation: tropical
dry deciduous forest and tropical thorn forest.
✓ Western Ghats
• The Western Ghats accounts for 4% of the total geographical area.
• It is one of India’s major tropical evergreen forest regions and one of two biodiversity ‘hot
spots.’
• The Western Ghats run along the west coast of peninsular India from the Tapti river in the
north to Kanyakumari in the south, passing through the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa,
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.
• Nilgiri Langur (Presbytis jobni), Lion Tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus), Grizzled Giant
Squirrel (Ratufa macroura), Malabar Civet (Viverricula megaspila), Nilgiri Tahr (Hemitragus
bylocrius), and Malabar Grey Hornbill (Ocycerous griseus) are all endemic to this region.
✓ Deccan Plateau
• The Deccan Plateau is India’s largest biogeographic region, accounting for 42% of the total
geographical area.
• It is a semi-arid region located in the rain shadow of the Western Ghats.
• The zone is relatively homogeneous, with climates ranging from semi-arid to moist-
deciduous/semi-evergreen.
• The Vindhya and Satpura hill ranges, the Chhota Nagpur Plateau, the Eastern Ghats, the Tamil
Nadu Plains, and the Karnataka Plateau are all part of the central highlands. The Vindhya and
Satpura hill ranges are famous for their diverse flora.
• Species found in this region include:
• Chital (Axis axis), Sambar , Nilgai , Chousingha (Tetracerus quadricornis), Barking deer
(Muntiacus muntjak), Gaur (Antilope cervicapra), Elephant (Elephas maximus) in Bihar-
Orissa and Karnataka-Tamil Nadu belts.
✓ Gangetic Plain
• The Gangetic plain accounts for about 10.8 percent of the total geographical area. The Gangetic
plain is topographically homogeneous for hundreds of kilometers.
• The Gangetic divide, the Upper Gangetic plain, the Middle Gangetic plain, and the Lower
Gangetic plain are all part of this zone.
• This zone, which stretches from eastern Rajasthan through Uttar Pradesh to Bihar and West
Bengal, is mostly agricultural and has a dense human population.
• Teak, shisham, sal, khair, and other trees from these forests have some of the highest
population densities and topographic uniformity.
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Bheeshan Ram Nayak S , Department of Environmental science
• This region’s fauna includes the Rhinoceros unicornis, Elephant, Buffalo, Swamp Deer, Hog-
Deer.
❖ BIODIVERSITY PATTERNS:
Biodiversity pattern in species is the understanding that the number of species found on Earth
varies globally, locally as well as with time. Many variations can be present within species, biomes,
ecosystems and a particular area.
Ecologists discovered two broad kinds of diversity patterns, namely:
✓ Latitudinal Gradients
1. Species diversity decreased from the equator towards poles.
2. The tropics harbor more species than temperate and polar regions.
3. For example, Colombia (near equator) has 1400 species of birds whereas New York(41 N) has
105 species, Greenland (71 N) has 56 species and India (almost tropical latitude) has 1200 species.
✓ Species-Area Relationship
1. Alexander von Humboldt has observed that within a region, species richness gets increased
when explored area is increased, but only up to a limit.
2. The relationship between species richness and area for a number of taxa like angiospermic
plants, fresh water fishes and birds is found to be a rectangular hyperbola.
❖ GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS: A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic
region with significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened by human habitation
Biodiversity Hotspots – 2 Main Qualifying Criteria:
According to Conservation International, a region must fulfill the following two criteria to qualify
as a hotspot:
• The region should have at least 1500 species of vascular plants i.e., it should have a high
degree of endemism.
• It must contain 30% (or less) of its original habitat, i.e. it must be threatened.
there are major four biodiversity hotspots in India:
✓ The Himalayas
Considered the highest in the world, the Himalayas (overall) comprises North-East India, Bhutan,
Central and Eastern parts of Nepal. This region (NE Himalayas) holds a record of having 163
endangered species which includes the Wild Asian Water Buffalo, One-horned Rhino; and as
many as 10,000 plant species, of which 3160 are endemic.
✓ Indo – Burma Region
In the last 12 years, 6 large mammal species have been discovered in this region: the Annamite
Striped Rabbit, the Leaf Deer, and the Saola.There are also 1,300 different bird species, including
the threatened White-eared Night-heron, the Grey-crowned Crocias, and the Orange-necked
Partridge.
✓ The Western Ghats
The Western Ghats are present along the western edge of peninsular India and covers most of the
deciduous forests and rain forests.
✓ Sundaland
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Bheeshan Ram Nayak S , Department of Environmental science
The Sundaland hotspot lies in South-East Asia and covers Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Brunei,
and Malaysia. In the year 2013, the Sundaland was declared as a World Biosphere Reserve by the
United Nations. This region is famous for its rich terrestrial and marine ecosystem.
✓ List of Biodiversity Hotspots in the World
• North and Central America – California Floristic Province, Madrean pine-oak woodlands,
Mesoamerica
• The Caribbean – Caribbean Islands
• South America – Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, Chilean Winter Rainfall-Valdivian Forests,
Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena, Tropical Andes
• Central Asia – Mountains of Central Asia.
❖ INDIA AS A MEGADIVERSITY NATION:
• A mega diversity region or country is one that harbors majority of the Earth’s species and is
therefore considered extremely bio-diverse. India is rich in biodiversity from north to south
and from east to west.
• India is one among the top 10 countries with rich biodiversity and one among the 12 Mega
biodiversity regions in the world. Around 18 biosphere reserves have been set up in India.
• India is home to 350 different mammals (rated highest in the world), 1, 200 species of birds,
453 species of reptiles and 45, 000 plant species.
• India has 27 indigenous breeds of cattle, 40 breeds of sheep, 22 breeds of goats and 8 breeds
of buffaloes.
• The highest diversity of cultivars is found concentrated in the high rainfall areas of Western
Ghats, Eastern Ghats, Northern Himalayas. And North-Eastern hills.
Endangered & Endemic species of India:
✓ Endemic Species Definition:
“Endemic species is that ecological state of a species where a species is unique to a defined
geographical location.”
Examples of Endemic species:
• Asiatic Lion, Gir Forest
• Kashmir Stag, Kashmir Valley
• Purple Frog, Western Ghats
• Nilgiri Tahr, Nilgiri Hills
• Malabar Civet, Western Ghats
• Anaimalai Gliding Frog, Anaimalai Hills
• Namdapha Flying Squirrel, Arunachal Pradesh
• Indian Giant.
✓ Endangered species: An endangered species is a type of organism that is threatened by extinction.
Species become endangered for two main reasons: loss of habitat and loss of genetic variation.
Example of Endangered species:
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Bheeshan Ram Nayak S , Department of Environmental science
• Bengal tiger, Asiatic lion, snow leopard, one horned rhinoceros, Blackbuck, kashmiri res stag,
nirgiri tahr.
✓ Threats to Biodiversity:
• Habitat Loss: Habitat loss includes habitat destruction, altering the physical environment such
that a species can no longer live there, and habitat fragmentation, which involves dividing a habitat
into discontinuous patches.
• Poaching of wildlife: Poaching, in law, the illegal shooting, trapping, or taking of game, fish, or
plants from private property or from a place where such practices are specially reserved or
forbidden. Poaching is a major existential threat to numerous wild organisms worldwide and is an
important contributor to biodiversity loss.
• Man-wild life conflicts: Human-wildlife conflict is defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature
(WWF) as “any interaction between humans and wildlife that results in negative impacts of human
social, economic or cultural life, on the conservation of wildlife populations, or on the
environment.”
Habitat disturbance is the destruction of the home of wild animals. Humans kill or chase wild
animals by digging, cutting, sealing by stones and smoking in their natural habitat.
• Biological Invasions: Biological invasions are a major force of change, affecting many
dimensions of life on Earth. Invasions result when species colonize new geographic regions, which
are disjunct (isolated) from existing populations. They pose an increasing threat to the composition
and structure of natural communities across the globe. Biological invasion has been greatly
damaging the ecological and evolutionary integrity of natural ecosystems, which will weaken the
functions of the ecosystems and frequently cause natural disasters.
✓ Conservation of Biodiversity: Considering the degree of threat to biodiversity around the
world and the vital importance of biodiversity for living beings of which mankind is a major part,
there is an urgent need to conserve biodiversity in the world. There are two main methods for the
conservation of biodiversity.
1. In-situ Conservation
In-situ or on-site conservation refers to the conservation of species within their natural habitats.
This is the most viable way of biodiversity conservation. It is the conservation of genetic
resources through their maintenance within the environment in which they occur.
Examples – National Parks, Wild Life sanctuaries, Biosphere Reserves, Gene Sanctuaries
2. Ex-situ Conservation
Ex-situ conservation means the conservation of components of biological diversity outside
their natural habitats. In this method, threatened or endangered species of animals and plants
are taken out of their natural habitat and placed in special settings where they can be protected
and provided with natural growth.
Examples – Captive Breeding, Gene Banks, Seed Banks, Zoos, Botanical gardens, Aquaria, In
vitro fertilization, Cryopreservation, Tissue Culture.
❖ Ecosystem and biodiversity services
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Bheeshan Ram Nayak S , Department of Environmental science
Ecosystem services are the goods and services that biodiversity provides. They include soil
formation, the provision of food and fibre, air quality and climate regulation, the regulation of
water supply and quality and the cultural and aesthetic value of certain plants and species.
• Ecological: Ecosystem services make human life possible by, for example, providing nutritious
food and clean water, regulating disease and climate, supporting the pollination of crops and soil
formation, and providing recreational, cultural and spiritual benefits.
• Economic: Food production relies on biodiversity for a variety of food plants, pollination, pest
control, nutrient provision, genetic diversity, and disease prevention and control. Both medicinal
plants and manufactured pharmaceuticals rely on biodiversity.
• Social: Biodiversity supports human and societal needs, including food and nutrition security,
energy, development of medicines and pharmaceuticals and freshwater, which together underpin
good health. It also supports economic opportunities, and leisure activities that contribute to overall
wellbeing.
• Ethical: The idea of ecosystem services is important for biological conservation, natural resource
management and environmental policy. It highlights human dependence on ecosystems and
explicitly connects science and society.
• Among cultural ecosystem services, the aesthetic value of biodiversity is central because it
contributes to human well-being and cultural experience [2]. The aesthetic value also plays a major
role in conservation and management as people are generally more prone to protect what they find
beautiful.
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