What is Natural Resource Management?
Resources include the entire natural environment that is useful to humans. Resources are actually stocks of nature like soil, minerals, water, coal, forests, and more. But because of the increasing population and technological development, our natural resources are getting polluted and depleted.
Natural Resource Management (NRM) deals with managing the way people and natural landscapes interact. It brings together water management, land use planning, biodiversity conservation, and the future sustainability of industries such as mining, tourism, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. It also recognises that people and their livelihoods rely on the productivity and health of our landscapes, and the caretaking of the land plays a major role in maintaining this productivity and health. The article discusses the different types of sustainable management techniques of natural resources.
Pollution
Pollution is defined as the addition of contaminants in a substance. The contaminants are defined as particles that cause undesirable changes in the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. Addition of contaminants in water, soil, and air results in the most common form of pollution. This is harmful to humans and to other organisms on the Earth as well. So there is an immediate requirement to take proper care and manage the natural resources to conserve our environment for sustainable development. There are international laws, different acts, organizations working towards our environmental protection. The awareness about these problems has led to the conservation of the environment and natural resources. For example, The Ganga Action Plan.
Methods of Sustainable Management
We can reduce the environmental pressure by following the concept named 3R's, which means to Reduce, Recycle, and Reuse.
Reduce
It means to use the natural resources less, which can be done by: like,
Switching off the electrical appliances when they are not in use.
Saving fuel by walking or using public transport.
Saving food by cooking limitedly or not wasting it, and so on.
Recycle
It is defined as the processing or recycling of waste to form new products. Practising the concept of recycling saves resources, costs, and also reduces the piling of waste materials.
Reuse
It is defined as using an item more than once like,
Reuse the envelope.
The containers of jams and pickles should be reused by storing other food items or groceries.
Use cloth/jute bags instead of the polyethene ones, and so on.
What is Sustainable Development?
It is controlling the usage of resources in a way that there is a continuous flow and equitable availability of products and services for the current and future generations without any impact on the environment. Case studies of Chipko Andolan and Ganga action plans are mentioned below as examples of sustainable development.
Chipko Andolan
The Andolan is an example of sustainable management of natural resources, which was initiated in a village, Tehri, located in Garhwal. The people residing in that area realized the importance of forests and decided not to give timber products to the people of other areas. They hugged the trees by making a human chain by standing and protested against cutting them. The Andolan soon spread in the nearby areas, and those people also started to protest against the cutting of trees.
(Image will be Uploaded soon)
Ganga Action Plan
In 1985, the Ganga Action Plan was implemented as a massive multi-crore project, which was undertaken to make the river Ganga pollution-free. It was also noticed that because of the continuous dumping of waste into river Ganga, the number of coliform bacteria rose up to an alarming level. This bacteria is, otherwise, found in the human intestine. This led to the pollution of the river. As people use water for bathing, washing clothes, it leads to the addition of various chemicals in the water which in turn, alters the 'ph' of the water level and makes it contaminated. The main aim of the project was to improve the quality of water by reducing the concentration of contaminants in the river.
Why Should We Manage Our Resources?
We are in critical demand to manage our resources because everything that we consume is obtained from resources existing on the Earth. They have to be handled carefully as all the natural resources are limited. Also, proper management ensures the availability of these resources for us today and for future generations tomorrow.
(Image will be Uploaded soon)
Sectors Affected by Depletion of Natural Resources
The depletion of natural resources poses a potential threat on a global level, depletion of resources like water and fossil fuels may lead to a severe shortage of water and fuel sources, but the immediate effect of overexploitation is widely suffered by the population established near the resource. Some of the most common examples of sectors affected by lack of sustainable management include the stakeholders and the wildlife of the nearby area. These are briefly explained below.
What are Stakeholders?
They are the individuals and the parties having a binding interest in an asset. The stakeholders are,
Locals - Who live around the forests and frequently depend on forest products.
The Forest Department - A government body that looks after the forest.
Industrialists - They take raw materials to run their industries.
Wildlife and Natural Enthusiasts - Those who need to conserve forests.
The stakeholders generally depend directly or indirectly on the natural resources for their livelihood, the lack of sustainable management, in turn, leads to overexploitation and scarcity of the resources.
Wildlife
Wildlife refers to living beings as a combination of plants, animals, and microorganisms found in natural habitats, which are neither domesticated nor cultivated. It is threatened because of a high degree of exploitation and human interference like-
Overexploitation
Habitat destruction
Hunting
Lack of proper management techniques leads to the disruption of the ecological balance of the environment.
In conclusion of the article, we have learnt about natural resource management and its importance.
FAQs on Sustainable Management of Natural Resources
1. What is meant by the sustainable management of natural resources according to the CBSE Class 10 syllabus?
Sustainable management of natural resources refers to the practice of using resources in a way that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It involves a long-term perspective, ensuring the equitable distribution of resources and their conservation for future use, while also protecting the environment from damage.
2. What are the '3Rs' for conserving natural resources? Provide one example for each.
The '3Rs' are a fundamental principle for conserving natural resources and minimising environmental impact. They stand for:
- Reduce: This means using less of a resource. For example, saving electricity by switching off lights and fans when not in use.
- Reuse: This involves using items more than once. For instance, reusing glass jars from jams or pickles to store kitchen items.
- Recycle: This is the process of converting waste materials into new products. An example is recycling old newspapers, magazines, and notebooks into fresh paper.
3. Why is the participation of local people crucial for the effective management of forests?
The participation of local people is crucial because they have a direct stake in the health and availability of forest resources for their livelihood. They often possess generations of traditional knowledge about the local ecosystem, which can be invaluable for conservation. Involving local communities ensures that conservation efforts are practical, reduces conflicts with authorities, and fosters a sense of ownership, making the management of forests more sustainable and successful in the long run.
4. What was the Chipko Andolan and what ecological principle does it highlight?
The Chipko Andolan was a non-violent, community-led forest conservation movement that began in the 1970s in the Garhwal Himalayas. Villagers, especially women, would embrace the trees to prevent them from being cut down by contractors. This movement highlights the crucial ecological principle that forests are not just a source of timber but are a vital part of the local ecosystem, providing clean air, water, and soil stability, and that local communities are the most important stakeholders in their conservation.
5. How can building large dams be both advantageous and problematic for the environment?
Building large dams presents a complex scenario with both significant benefits and serious drawbacks:
- Advantages: Dams are important for generating hydroelectricity, providing a consistent water supply for irrigation in agriculture, and controlling floods in downstream areas.
- Problems: They lead to major environmental issues, including the submergence of large areas of forests and agricultural land, loss of biodiversity, and displacement of local communities. They can also disrupt aquatic life and cause social conflicts over water sharing.
6. Who are the main stakeholders in the management of a forest, and why do their interests often conflict?
The main stakeholders in forest management include:
- Local People: They depend on the forest for fuel, fodder, and food.
- The Forest Department: The government body that owns the land and controls forest resources.
- Industrialists: They use raw materials from forests, such as wood for paper or tendu leaves for bidis.
- Wildlife and Nature Enthusiasts: They advocate for conserving forests in their pristine form.
These interests often conflict because industrialists may want to clear-cut forests for profit, which harms the ecosystem and deprives local people of their resources, while the Forest Department has to balance these competing demands.
7. What are the long-term consequences of over-exploiting non-renewable resources like coal and petroleum?
The over-exploitation of non-renewable resources like coal and petroleum has severe long-term consequences. Firstly, it leads to the complete depletion of these resources, creating an energy crisis for future generations. Secondly, their extraction and combustion release harmful pollutants and greenhouse gases, leading to air pollution, acid rain, and accelerating global climate change. This unsustainable practice creates a future with greater environmental instability and resource scarcity.
8. What is rainwater harvesting and how does it contribute to water conservation?
Rainwater harvesting is the technique of capturing, collecting, and storing rainwater for later use. This can be done through structures like rooftop collection systems, pits, or tanks. It is a vital method for water conservation because it:
- Recharges groundwater levels, raising the water table.
- Reduces soil erosion and surface runoff during heavy rains.
- Decreases the demand on municipal water supplies, especially during dry seasons.
- Provides a source of water for irrigation and domestic use.
