Sustainable Management of Natural Resources

"The environment is everything which surrounds an organism and influences its life in many ways. It includes physical and biological components."

1.0Introduction

Anything which is useful to man or can be transformed into a useful product or a useful thing can be referred as a resource. A natural resource is the resource obtained from nature. Natural resources form the basis of entire life on this planet. The utilization of natural resources was small in early times due to less human population, absence of technology and abundance of resources.

But now due to population explosion, industrialization and urbanization, natural resources have undergone serious damage and destruction as requirement of energy has increased manifold. Human beings needed more coal and minerals, so they started exploiting the earth. Forests were cleared by growing more crops, setting up of industries, towns, cities, big dams to produce more electricity as a result disturbing the delicate balance that existed in nature. Destruction of forests caused depletion of flora and fauna (plants and animals). It also reduced the capacity to control the amount of ${\mathrm{CO}}_2$ in the atmosphere. Soil erosion, floods, famines, droughts, desertification are the direct result of deforestation.

Exploitation of natural resources and environmental problems are often global-level problems which are one of the most dangerous one as it is threatening the whole civilization. Only conservation of natural resources and sustainable management of it can protect our earth and its environment. Lot of national and international laws and regulation are formed for the environment protection. There are also national and international organisations working towards protecting our environment. Example of this is the multicrore 'Ganga action plan' started in 1985 to improve the quality of the water in Ganga.

Coliform (E. coli) is a group of bacteria, found in human intestine, whose presence in water indicates contamination by disease-causing microorganisms.

Pollution of the Ganga: Ganga is a holy river and its source is Gangotri glacier. The Ganga runs its course of over 2500 km from Gangotri in Himalayas to Ganga Sagar in the Bay of Bengal. It is being turned into a drain by more than a hundred towns and cities in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal that pour their garbage and excreta into it.

The major polluting industries near the Ganga are the leather industries, especially near Kanpur, which use large amount of chromium and other chemicals and its toxicity kill fishes in large sections of river. Apart from the industries, one billion litres per day of raw sewage is also poured into the Ganga. Inadequate cremation procedures contribute to a large number of partially burnt or unburnt corpses floating down the Ganga. These all pollutants affect the purity of Ganga for which it is known.

Level of pollution in water can be measured by different procedure. Some of the pollutants are harmful even when present in very small quantities and sophisticated equipment are required to measure them but pH of water can easily be checked by using universal indicator. Namami Gange Programme is an Integrated Conservation Mission approved as a Flagship Programme by the Union Government in June 2014. It was launched to accomplish the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution conservation and rejuvenation of River Ganga. The National Mission for Clean Ganga is the implementation wing set up in October 2016.

What changes can you make in your habits to become more environment friendly?

• Explanation We can make the following changes in our habits to become more environment friendly: (i) We must collect plastic, paper, glass and metal items and recycle them to make the required things instead of synthesising fresh plastic, paper, glass or metals. (ii) By saving water and avoiding wastage of food. (iii) Plantation of trees. (iv) Save the energy by switching off unnecessary lights and fans. (v) Reducing the use of non-renewable energy sources like petrol, diesel etc. (vi) Converting biodegradable plant and animal waste to manure by composting. (vii) Use jute bags instead of polythene.

BOD (Biological or biochemical oxygen demand) is amount of oxygen required for microorganism to metabolize organic matter.

2.0Conservation

Conservation may be defined as the most efficient and most beneficial utilization of the natural resources or the rational use of the environment to provide a high quality of living for the mankind.

Aim of conservation

(a) To ensure the preservation of a quality of environment that considers static, recreational as well as product needs.

(b) To issue a continuous yield of useful plants, animals and materials by establishing a balanced cycle of harvest and renewal.

The main objective of conservation is to maintain the essential ecological processes and the life supporting system the air, water, land, flora and fauna which are interconnected, interrelated and interdependent.

5R Formula of conservation

America the most developed country bears a big problem as the American throw about 50 billion food and drink cans, about 27 billion glass bottles and jars and about 65 million plastic and metal jars per year. More than $36\%$ of waste is packing material. About $85\%$ of our garbage is sent to a dump or landfill, where it can take from 10 to 400 years for things like cloth and aluminium to decompose. We are quickly running out of space. So, for the conservation of resources the five R's are very important that is 'reduce', 'recycle', 'reuse', 'refuse' and 'repurpose'. (a) Reduce: It means reducing the use of the natural resource. Water is saved by getting leaky taps repaired. Electricity consumption by switching off the fans, light etc. Buy product that do not have a lot of packaging. By using car pool or by using public transport we can save fuel and reduce pollution. (b) Recycle: The process by which we create new products out of the old ones is called recycling. Papers, plastics, glass, metal containers can be recycled by machine. In addition to recycling the people must purchase the products which contain recycled materials. For recycling, the waste products can be segregated as the material that can be recycled should not be dumped along with other waste. (c) Reuse: It is better option as the process of recycling uses some energy. In this process articles are used again and again. Plastic bottles, cans, glass bottles, tin bottles of various products can be used for every day after cleaning. For example, (i) Use of steel/glass utensils instead of disposable plastic utensils must be promoted. (ii) Writing papers must be used on both sides. (iii) Cloth bags can be used to carry materials from market instead of plastic or paper bags. (iv) The plastic bottles in which food items can be used for storing things in the kitchen. (d) Refuse: This means to say No to things people offer you that you don't need. Refuse to buy products that can harm you and the environment, say No to single-use plastic carry bags. (e) Repurpose: This means when a product can no more be used for the original purpose, think carefully and use it for some other useful purpose. For example, cracked crockery, or cups with broken handles can be used to grow small plants and as feeding vessels for birds.

What would be the advantages of exploiting resources with short-term aims?

• Explanation Exploiting resources with short-term aims provide immediate advantage that meet current basic human needs.

3.0Why do we need to manage our resources?

The continuous and ever-increasing demand for basic items of survival like food, water, shelter and clothes forced us to explore and exploit all possible natural resources without planning and without caring for the consequences.

To make dwelling places and to grow more food to meet the demand of growing populations more land was cleared. Industrial revolutions, on the other hand, set in motion a rat race for industrial development exploiting all possible natural resources.

We have started exploiting fossil fuels, ores, ground water, forest, etc. causing enormous damage to the environment and upsetting the delicate balance of it.

The coming generations would be deprived of these natural resources. It is on this account that the management of the resources should be on long term basis. So that they may be available for coming generation. During the Vedic period, both productive as well as protective aspect of forest vegetation were emphasised. Agriculture emerged as a dominant economic activity during the later Vedic period. This was the time when the concept of cultural landscape such as sacred forests and groves, sacred corridors and a variety of ethno-forestry practices were evolved that continued to the post-Vedic period, besides a wide range of ethno-forestry practices were infused with the traditions, customs and rituals and followed as a means for protection of nature and natural resource.

The management should also ensure that all strata of the population not only a handful of rich and powerful people should be benefited from the development of these resources.

4.0Forests and wild life (flora and fauna)

Forest is a large uncultivated-self sustained woody tract dominated by trees forming a nearly closed canopy. Forests occupy nearly one third of the land area of earth. They are a repository of numerous economically important articles and biodiversity, which also perform important environmental services to mankind.

Why should we conserve forests and wildlife?

• Explanation: There are large number of species of both plants and animals found in the forest. However, the range of different life forms (bacteria, fungi, ferns, flowering plants, nematodes, insects, birds, reptiles and so on) is also important. One of the main aims of conservation is to try and preserve the biodiversity we have inherited. Experiments and field studies suggest that a loss of diversity may lead to a loss of ecological stability. Flora is the technical term used for plants and fauna for animals.

Following are the uses of forests -

Timber: Forests provide timber for building the furniture, etc. Protection of wildlife: Forest protects the wild life and thus save it from extinction. Solar radiation: They are effectively helpful in saving the life from bad effects of solar radiation. ${\mathrm{CO}}_2,{\mathrm{O}}_2$ balance: They maintain the ${\mathrm{CO}}_2$ and ${\mathrm{O}}_2$ balance in nature. Paper industry: To the paper industry, basic raw material is mainly provided by forests. Regulation: Forests regulate the atmospheric temperature and water cycle. Soil erosion: Forests are an effective means to check soil erosion and floods. Other resources: They are also the source of fruits, nuts and medicines. So, forest have productive function (like timber, firewood, used to make paper, rayon, resin, gum, dye, drugs and essential oils are obtained, etc.) Protective function (like conservation of soil particles, retains water, provides shelter to wild animals and reduces atmospheric pollution) and regulative function controls flood, it increases humidity and increases frequency of rainfall. Deforestation is one of the main causes of various environmental problems. The tropical forests as we know, constitute the earth's main reservoir and are extremely important for global water cycles and climatic stability. In addition, as given above, they represent a large commercial economic asset for the countries in which they are located. Forests are also a 'biodiversity hot spots'. The occurrence of different types of genes and species from all the habitats and ecosystems in a particular place and various parts of the earth is called biodiversity. Hot spots are the areas of rich biodiversity and high endemism of plants and animal species which are being severely threatened by human activities. The main aim of conservation is to preserve the biodiversity. If deforestation takes place due to any reason, then it will lead to change in climate, global warming, soil erosion, flood, destruction of habitat of wild animals, extinction of wild animals etc. A loss of biodiversity may lead to a loss of ecological stability.

Stakeholders: Stakeholders are the dependents of the forest who use the forest for their own benefit. The various stakeholders are - (a) The people who live in or around forests. These are the people who are really cut off from the urban areas, hence they totally depend on the forest for their livelihood. They need large quantities of firewood, timber. They use bamboo in rafters, roofing, flooring, matting, basket making. They also gather fodder from forests. Their cattles also graze in forest area. (b) The forest department of the government which owns the land and controls the resources from forest. Forests department ignored the local needs and local knowledge in the management practices. This resulted in conversion of vast forest tracts into monocultures of pine, teak or eucalyptus. To plant these trees, huge areas are first cleared of all vegetation, which resulted in the destruction of biodiversity. The local people now cannot collect nuts, fruits, medicines for themselves and even fodder for the ir cattle's. These trees are useful for the industries to access specific products and are important source of revenue for the forest department. (c) The industrialists are also stakeholders. Industrialists consider the forest as a source of raw material for their factories. 'Tendu' leaves are used to make bidis, timber industries use bamboo and wood to make paper, gum, resin, tannin, lac, sports equipment, furniture, etc. all are obtained from forests by industrialists. (d) Industrialists lobby the government for access to these raw materials at artificially low rates. They have great reach than the local people, so, they are not interested in the sustainability of the forest in one particular area. Once the area has been fully exploited to its full potential then they leave the particular area and move to the new area. (e) The wildlife and nature enthusiasts who want to conserve nature.

When the Britishers came, they took over the management of the forests and they exploited the forest ruthlessly. As a result of this the people dependent on forests without affecting the forest suffered a lot. When India achieved independence, the forests department of Government of India took over from them. The local officers controlled them, but the norms of colonial regimes were nearly followed. These officials then ignored both local knowledge and local needs in their management practices as given above. So, the wildlife and nature enthusiasts want to conserve nature in its original form both the flora and fauna. The forest of India is a critical resource for the subsistence of rural people throughout the country.

How would the advantages of using a short-term perspective in managing our resources differ from the advantages of using a long-term perspective in managing them?

• Explanation: Exploiting resources with short-term aim are beneficial for the present generation to meet current basic human needs while using with a long-term perspective aims to fulfil the need of future generation. A long-term perspective in managing our resources is a sustainable practice that enables the present generation to use natural resources judiciously so that their availability is ensured for the future generations too. There are numerous examples which proves that the prejudice against the traditional use of forest areas has no basis. For example, the great Himalayan National Park contain alpine meadows, within its reserved areas. There was a time when nomadic shepherds drove there flock up from the valleys every summer. On the formation of the National Park, the practice was stopped. The results were not good and forest friendly. It has been seen that without regular grazing by sheep the grass grows very tall, then falls over, preventing fresh growth below. From this example, we should accept that human intervention has been very much a part of the forest landscape. Management of protected areas should be done by the involvement of local people and community. Forest resources should be used in such a way that the environment is preserved and the benefits of the controlled exploitation go to the local people. So, by this process, economic growth, social growth and ecological conservation go side by side.

• Conservation is protection and scientific management of a resource so as to maintain it at optimum level for providing benefits to present as well as future generation.
• Stakeholders connected with forest are local resident, forest department, industrialists and wildlife, nature enthusiasts. Sustainable management and development: Sustainable management can be defined as management of available resources and development of new technique for the forests to meet the changing human needs, at the same time maintaining and improving the quality of environment and conserving natural resources. Sustainable management must look into the needs, resources and the goods of the people involved.

Sustainable development is the use of natural resources judiciously for a more stable development, without impairing the abilities of future generations to use these resources with no interference into their living rights. In other words, sustainable development as defined by the World Commission on Environment and Development (also known as Brundtland Commission) in 1987 is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

What do you think about the equitable distribution of resources? What forces would be working against an equitable distribution of our resources?

• Explanation: The management should ensure equitable distribution of resources, so that rich and poor, both get benefitted. Powerful and rich people take advantage of their influence and get more benefits as compared to poor people. The money and power are important factors which work against the fare equitable distribution of our resources.

The development plans should ensure certain criteria - (a) Sustainable and equitable use of resources in order to meet the needs of present and future generations without damaging the environment. (b) Preventing further damage to our life support systems like air, water, land and forests. (c) Conserving and nurturing the biological diversity, gene pool and other resources for long term food security.

What to do for sustainable development? (a) Reduce excessive use of fossil fuels, water, mineral, fertilizers and pesticides. (b) Give people production and security to invest in long term improvement. (c) Improve sanitation, provide clean water, education, family planning, agricultural extension and research which helps the poor. (d) Provide jobs, houses and other basic facilities that encourage people to live in rural areas instead of urban areas. (e) Educate, empower and involve general public in decision making at all levels. (f) Protect natural vegetation, resources, biodiversity, forests and other ecological niches.

Suggest some approaches towards the conservation of forests.

• Explanation: The following measures are suggested for the conservation of forests. (i) Plantation of indigenous species to develop forests in all the available land. (ii) Indiscriminate felling of trees for the purpose of timber must be reduced. (iii) The forest reserves must be protected from fuel-starved villagers, fodder-starved cattles and commercial exploitation. (iv) Participation of local people and villagers must be taken in conservation of forests and they should be given proper employment. (v) Promoting reforestation practices on barren lands. (vi) Forest fire should be controlled.

Chipko and Appiko movement:

Chipko Movement ('Hug the Trees Movement') started in March 1973 from Gopeshwar in Chamoli district of Tehri-Garhwal region of Uttaranchal to prevent felling of trees. The term has been coined after the practice of hugging the trees selected for cutting. It was led by Gauri Devi. Leaders of the movement were sunder Lal Bahuguna of Tehri and Chandi Prasad Bhatt of Gopeshwar.

This was started when forest resources were made available for the industrial use at a rate below the market price.

A contract was given to a factory in Allahabad to cut forest in Garhwal while local people were prevented for using local produce to meet their daily needs.

The people of Reni village in Garhwal began agitations against the cutting of trees. In true Gandhian tradition, they hugged the trees to be cut from the saw and axes of the contractor.

The message spread very quickly around the area and authorities were forced to rethink.

The 'Chipko Andolan' was concerned with the ecological balance of nature. It propagated the idea of ecology as permanent economy.

Main aim of Chipko movement was to give a slogan to five Fs-food, fodder, fuel, fibre and fertilizer are provided by forest and to make communities self-sufficient in all their basic needs.

A movement similar to Chipko was started by Pandurang Hegde in south. It is known as Appiko movement.

Another movement was non-violent resistance of Bishnoi community of Rajasthan for whom conservation of forest and wildlife has been a religious tenet. Amrita Devi with 363 other people have sacrificed their life to protect 'Khejari' trees in village called Khejrali (1731) as soldiers of Maharaja of Jodhpur are trying to cut these trees. In memory of Amrita Devi, Government of India has recently

Management of forests and people's participation:

In South West Bengal Sal forest was highly degraded. The Government of West Bengal tried to protect and restore but finally in 1972, the Forest Department accepted its failure as all traditional method failed and only frequent clashes occurred between forest officials and villagers. This also fuelled the militant peasant movement led by the Naxalites.

Lastly the Government changed its strategy for Arabari forest range in Midnapore District. The forest officer of this forest, Mr. A.K. Banerjee involved the villagers in the protection of the 1,272 hectares of badly degraded Sal Forest. Villagers were given employment in both silviculture and harvesting operation, $25\%$ of the final harvest and allowed fuel wood and fodder collection on payment of a nominal fee. So the active and willing participation of the local community, the Sal forests underwent a remarkable change and in 1983 this forest was valued Rs.12.5 crores.

Water for all: Water is vital to life since for all physiological activities of plants and animals, it is essential. It is one of the constituents of protoplasm. It acts as a universal solvent and its density is similar to that of protoplasm.

Water is an important natural resource of our basic needs and a precious national asset. Human being require water for many purposes like drinking, cleaning, cooking, crop production, and most of commercial activities like transportation, production of energy and so on.

Our country is rich in water resources in the form of rivers, lakes, ponds and also in addition a long coastline. Water is basically of two types: fresh and salt water. Salt water is found in seas, oceans and some lakes. Fresh water is available in the form of - (1) Rain Water (2) Surface water (3) Ground water

The main sources of water are rainwater and snow which are the parts of the hydrological cycle. The total water resources in our country have been estimated to an average run of the river system to the extent of $1869{\mathrm{km}}^3$ and $435{\mathrm{km}}^3$ (ground water). A study of rainfall does not show the whole truth behind the availability of water in different parts of the country. In our country, rain occurs only in fixed periods of a few months due to monsoon.

Explain the probable system of water harvesting in hilly/mountainous areas.

• Explanation: Water harvesting system in the hilly areas is quite different from those of plain areas. People of Himachal Pradesh had evolved the local system of canal irrigation called kulhs over four hundred years ago. The water flowing in the streams was diverted into man-made channels which took this water to numerous villages down the hillside.

The management of the water flowing in these kulhs was done by a common agreement between all the villages. Interestingly, during the planting season, water was first used by the village farthest away from the source of the kulh, then by villages progressively higher up. These kulhs were managed by two or three people who were paid by the villagers. In addition to irrigation, water from these Kulhs also percolated into the soil and fed springs at various points. Growing need for water: Water is an inexhaustible gift of nature. However, its uneven distribution has often threatened human welfare, livelihood and economic development. The growing scarcity of water occur due to the - (a) Rapidly growing population. (b) Rising demand for food and cash crops.

Drinking water supply and sanitation are the basic needs of life. Inspite of the concerted efforts made for increasing drinking water facilities, we have large gaps between demand and supply of water. Still $8\%$ of the towns in India do not have potable water supply. About half of the villages in the country are yet to be provided with protected drinking water. Inspite of improving the irrigation facilities two third of the cropped area is still dependent on rain. Increased use of tube wells has lowered the water table and has caused depletion of underground water resources.

Despite monsoons, the underground water is shrinking at an alarming rate. The reasons for this are loss of vegetation cover, diversion towards high water demanding crops and pollution of water from many sources (household causes, industrial effluents, etc.). To help the farmers dams, tanks, canals have been used in various parts of the country. The local people managed this to ensure that all the people especially the farmers get their due share of water throughout the year. When the Britishers arrived, the concept of local resources managed by local people was changed to bigger large-scale projects, with practically no local participation. The mega projects, though appeared very useful on papers but at ground level, the local projects governed and managed by local people suffered a severe set back. The local people had no control over them.

Kulhs in Himachal Pradesh: A system of Kulhs existed about 400 years ago, in Himachal Pradesh. Under this system, water flowing from streams was diverted into man made channels which supplied the water to villages down the hill side. The management and distribution of water was in accordance to the needs of the villagers. During planting season, the village farthest from the Kulhs used to get water first and the village situated the nearest, will get the water in last.In addition to irrigation, the water in Kulhs get percolated in the soil and fed springs at various points. After the Kulhs were taken over by the irrigation department, they gradually became defunctional. Thus, a sustainable system gets abolished.

Dams: A barrier constructed to contain the flow of water, of any river is called dam. Large dams can ensure the storage of adequate water not just for irrigation, but also for generating electricity. It also controls flood, checks soil erosion and provide inland navigation. Canal systems leading from these dams can transfer large amounts of water to great distances.

Mismanagement of the water has largely led to inequitable distribution. People close to the source grow water intensive crops like rice and sugar cane while the people who are farther downstream do not get any water. The woes of these people who have been promised benefits which never arrived are added to the discontentment among the people who have been displaced due to building of the dam and its canal network. One of the most controversial projects in recent year is Narmada River Valley Project. Now-adays criticism has been mounting about the height of dams. First it was Tehri Dam on the river Ganga in Uttranchal and now Narmada Bachao Andolan, in which they are against the rising of height of Sardar Sarovar dam on the river Narmada. People are against very high dams on the following grounds. Social aspects: Uprooting and displacement of large number of peasants and tribals from the area, without adequate compensation and rehabilitation. Site of such projects, being enormous in size, is usually located in backward areas away from the cities and away from villages. The extremely poor and backward people, mostly tribals feel cheated because seldom they get advantage of such schemes. The oustee of the Tawa Dam built in the 1970's are still fighting for the benefits which were promised when about 40 years ago. Economic aspects: On very large dams high amount of money is spent and it does not provides proportionate benefits. Environmental aspects: Construction of large dams contributes to deforestation of large areas of the forests, thus causing loss of biodiversity.

Find out the source of water in your region/locality. Is water from this source available to all people living in that area?

• Explanation: The sources of water in my locality are ground water through hand pump and the municipality supply. Sometimes, especially in summer season, water from these sources becomes scanty. In my locality, water is available to all the people.

Water harvesting: Water harvesting means capturing rain where it falls or capturing the runoff in a village or town and taking measures to keep that water clean by not allowing polluting activities to take place in the catchment. Therefore, water harvesting can be undertaken through a variety of ways. (a) Capturing run off from roof tops. (b) Capturing run off from local catchments. (c) Capturing seasonal flood waters from local streams.

The management of single unit of land (usually a degraded site) from the perspective of all its water related issues is called watershed management. Watershed management emphasises scientific soil and water conservation in order to increase the biomass production. It includes programmes for soil and moisture conservation, water harvesting, afforestation, horticulture, pasture development and upgradation of community land resources. These plans take into consideration the land capability and the local needs of the people. It seeks participation of the local people. Watershed management consists of the following steps - (a) Identification of a degraded area of land emphasises the need of the improvement of quality and quantity of clean water to the local community and thus ensure their participation. (b) Take up afforestation by planting grasses and plants which will hold the soil and prevent soil erosion. (c) Construction of a series of long trenches and mounds to hold rain water and allow it to percolate into the ground. (d) Making of plugs and check dams in the streams so that the water does not rush down the hill-side. Thus, it helps in holding back larger amounts of water.

This will keep the water table land and the rivers flowing throughout the year.

Various organisations have been working or rejuvenating ancient systems of water harvesting as an alternative to the dams. Water harvesting techniques are highly specific and the benefits are also localised. Giving people control over their local water resources ensures that mismanagement and over exploitation of these resources is reduced or removed.

Note: Dr. Rajendra Singh is known as India's "waterman". By using a traditional technology, he saves thousands of parched villages and transform the lives of thousands of villagers in one of India's most arid regions. By his efforts 8,600 Johads and other structures to collect water have been built in Rajasthan and water has been brought back to 1,000 villages across the state. In 2015, he won the Stockholm Water Prize. It is the most prestigious award which honours a person who contributes to the conservation and protection of water resources for the well-being of the planet and its inhabitants.

Khadin water harvesting system: In large plain areas, the water harvesting structures are usually crescent shaped earthen embankment or low straight concrete and rubble 'check dams' which are built across seasonal flooded gullies. During heavy rain all the areas get filled with water. Only the larger structure hold water throughout year, otherwise mostly of it dries soon after monsoon or within six months. This arrangement helps in storage of water, recharge the ground water, provides moisture for vegetation over a wide area apparatus.

Advantages of ground water

(a) Ground water does not evaporate but spreads out to recharge wells and provides moisture for vegetation over a wide area. (b) It does not provide breeding ground for mosquitoes like pond or lakes. (c) It is relatively protected from contamination by human and animal waste.

Coal and petroleum: Coal and petroleum were formed from the degradation of biomass millions of years ago. Coal is the main source of power generation in India. About 60% of the country's requirement of power is met by coal. It is the prime source of energy in the manufacturing of steel and iron. It is also used as raw material mainly for chemical industry.

Petroleum is also called mineral oil and it emits very little smoke, leaves no ash and can be used upto the last drop.

Both coal and petroleum are non-renewable resources, so they will be exhausted in the future no matter how carefully we use them.

Both coal and petroleum are made up of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulphur. On combustion they release carbon dioxide, water and oxides of nitrogen and sulphur. If combustion takes place in insufficient amount of oxygen, then carbon monoxide is formed instead of carbon dioxide.

Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas which can cause global warming.

Carbon monoxide is poisonous gas along with oxides of nitrogen and sulphur. Carbon monoxide combines irreversibly with haemoglobin to form carboxyhaemoglobin.

Energy crisis: The world is in grip of energy shortage and impending energy crisis due to the following reasons - (a) The demand for energy is increasing rapidly due to increase in living standard. (b) Increasing population. (c) Rapid depletion of fossil fuels.

Conservation of energy: Coal and petroleum can be used judiciously for its conservation. This can be done by - (a) Continuous improvement in fuel efficiency of automobiles. Complete combustion of fuel will increase the efficiency as well as reduce air pollution. (b) Using alternate sources of energy (non-conventional sources like wind energy, solar energy, nuclear energy). (c) Use of Public transport or car pool system will also save fossil fuel.

An overview of natural resource management: Man has been gifted with thought process, his dominance should be such that he turns natural resources to his advantage and natural resources are destroyed mostly due to his carelessness. Man's activities are often so extreme and so rapid that their affects are like those of a series of catastrophic natural events.

Conservation is rational use of earth's resources to achieve highest quality of life for mankind. The material gain from natural resources must be balanced and weighed against aesthetic values of nature. Sustainable management of natural resources is a difficult task as we can't overlook the needs of different stakeholders. But these selfish motives will lead to create problem of our environment and for our coming generation.

So going beyond laws, rules and regulations, we need to reduce our requirements individually and collectively, so that the benefits of development reach everyone now and for all future generations. So, it is evident that sustainable resource management is only possible through people's participation.

5.0SOME BASIC TERMS

• Resource: Anything that is useful to man and can be transformed into a product.
• Flora and Fauna: Flora - Plant species found in particular area, Fauna - Animal species found in particular area.
• Pollutants: Any substance that harm the environment.
• Conservation: Efficient and beneficial utilization of the natural resources (Rational use of resources).
• Biodiversity: Presence of different types of genes & species with an ecosystem.
• Indigenous species: Species found in a particular ecosystem due to natural process.
• Sustainable development: Development without explaining harming the natural resources.
• Silviculture: As the art and science of controlling the composition, structure and dynamics of forest.
• Wastes harvesting: Capturing of rain water or the run off in the village of human.
• Afforestation: Planting of trees & plant in an area.