This chapter explains that anything in our environment which can satisfy a human need, and is technologically accessible, economically feasible and culturally acceptable, is a resource. Resources are classified by origin (biotic and abiotic), exhaustibility (renewable and non-renewable), ownership (individual, community, national and international) and status of development (potential, developed, stock and reserves). Because resources are limited and unevenly spread, unplanned use has caused depletion, the accumulation of resources in a few hands, and environmental damage, making resource planning and conservation essential; the chapter recalls the Rio Earth Summit of 1992 and the idea of sustainable development. It then focuses on land and soil as vital resources, describing land-use patterns in India and the problem of land degradation from deforestation, overgrazing, mining and over-irrigation. It classifies the major Indian soils — alluvial, black (regur), red and yellow, laterite, arid and forest soils — and explains soil erosion and conservation methods such as contour ploughing, terrace farming, strip cropping and planting shelter belts.
Types of resources and classificationResource planning and conservationSustainable development and the Rio SummitLand use and land degradationMajor soil types of IndiaSoil erosion and soil conservation
Key terms
Resource
Anything useful that satisfies human needs and is technologically and economically accessible.
Renewable resource
A resource that can be renewed or reproduced, such as water, forests and solar energy.
Non-renewable resource
A resource that takes very long geological time to form, such as minerals and fossil fuels.
Sustainable development
Development that meets present needs without harming the ability of future generations to meet theirs.
Land degradation
The decline in the quality and productivity of land due to misuse or overuse.
Alluvial soil
Fertile soil deposited by rivers, ideal for intensive agriculture.
Black soil
Clayey, moisture-retentive regur soil suited to growing cotton.
Resource planning
The judicious, balanced use of resources for sustainable development.
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Resources that can be renewed or reproduced, like water and forests, are called:
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