Class 10 Science Notes Chapter 16 (Management of natural resources) – Science Book

Detailed Notes with MCQs of Chapter 16: Management of Natural Resources. This is a crucial chapter, not just for your exams but for understanding our responsibility towards the environment. Many government exams include questions based on environmental science and resource management, often drawing directly from NCERT concepts. So, pay close attention.

Chapter 16: Management of Natural Resources - Detailed Notes for Government Exams

1. Introduction: What are Natural Resources and Why Manage Them?

• Natural Resources: These are the resources available from nature that support life and meet human needs. Examples: Air, water, soil, forests, wildlife, coal, petroleum, minerals.
• Classification:
  • Renewable Resources: Resources that can be replenished naturally within a reasonable time frame (e.g., solar energy, wind energy, water (hydrological cycle), forests, wildlife - if managed properly).
  • Non-renewable Resources: Resources that exist in finite quantities and cannot be replenished easily once consumed (e.g., coal, petroleum, natural gas, minerals). Formed over millions of years.
• Need for Management:
  • Finite Availability: Especially non-renewable resources are limited.
  • Increasing Demand: Growing human population and industrialization increase the pressure on resources.
  • Equitable Distribution: Ensure resources are available for all sections of society, not just a few rich and powerful people.
  • Environmental Damage: Unplanned exploitation leads to pollution, habitat destruction, and ecological imbalance.
  • Sustainable Development: Meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This requires a long-term perspective.

2. Forests and Wildlife

• Importance of Forests:
  • Ecological: Provide habitat for biodiversity, regulate climate, prevent soil erosion, maintain the water cycle, produce oxygen, absorb carbon dioxide.
  • Economic: Provide timber, fuelwood, fodder, medicinal plants, raw materials for industries (paper, rubber, resins).
  • Social: Livelihood for forest-dependent communities.
• Biodiversity Hotspots: Areas rich in species diversity, many of which are endemic (found only in that specific region). Forests are major biodiversity hotspots.
• Stakeholders in Forest Management: Individuals or groups with an interest or 'stake' in the resource.
  • Local People: Live in or around forests, depend on forest produce for livelihood. Practice traditional conservation methods.
  • Forest Department (Government): Owns the land, controls resources, develops management plans.
  • Industrialists: Use forest produce as raw materials (e.g., timber, bamboo for paper mills, tendu leaves for bidis). Often focus on single species (monoculture), which harms biodiversity.
  • Wildlife and Nature Enthusiasts/Conservationists: Want to conserve forests in their pristine form, often without considering local needs initially, though this perspective is evolving.
• Deforestation: Clearing of forests.
  • Causes: Agriculture expansion, industrialization, urbanization, infrastructure development (roads, dams), logging, fuelwood collection, overgrazing.
  • Consequences: Soil erosion, floods, loss of biodiversity, climate change, disruption of the water cycle.
• Conservation Strategies:
  • Afforestation/Reforestation: Planting trees in barren lands or replanting in deforested areas.
  • Social Forestry: Management and protection of forests and afforestation on barren lands with the purpose of helping environmental, social, and rural development (involving local communities).
  • Regulated Felling & Logging: Scientific management of timber extraction.
  • Protection from Pests, Diseases, and Fires.
  • Protected Areas: National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Biosphere Reserves (established to protect habitats and specific species).
  • Community Participation: Involving local people is key to successful conservation.
    • Example: Chipko Andolan (Hug the Trees Movement): Originated in Reni village, Garhwal (Uttarakhand) in the early 1970s. Villagers, especially women, hugged trees to prevent contractors from felling them. Showcased the power of community action.
    • Example: Bishnoi Community of Rajasthan: Traditionally protect Khejri trees and wildlife (like blackbucks). Amrita Devi Bishnoi sacrificed her life along with hundreds of others in 1731 to save Khejri trees. The Government of India instituted the 'Amrita Devi Bishnoi National Award for Wildlife Conservation' in her memory.
    • Example: Arabari Forest Range (West Bengal): Forest officer A.K. Banerjee involved local villagers in protecting degraded sal forests in exchange for employment and a share in the harvest. Led to remarkable recovery of the forest.

3. Water for All

• Importance: Essential for all life forms, agriculture, industries, domestic use, transportation.
• Sources: Rain, rivers, lakes, ponds, groundwater (wells, tube wells), glaciers.
• Water Scarcity:
  • Causes: Uneven rainfall distribution, over-exploitation (especially groundwater for agriculture), increasing demand, pollution of water bodies (industrial effluents, sewage, agricultural runoff).
• Dams: Large structures built across rivers.
  • Advantages: Store water for irrigation, generate hydroelectricity, control floods, supply water to towns.
  • Disadvantages (Criticisms):
    • Social Problems: Displacement of large numbers of people (tribals, peasants) without adequate compensation or rehabilitation.
    • Economic Problems: Huge public money investment without proportionate benefits; issues of equitable water distribution (people close to the source benefit more).
    • Environmental Problems: Deforestation, loss of biodiversity, affects downstream river ecology, potential risk of earthquakes.
• Water Harvesting: Capturing rainwater where it falls or capturing runoff in local areas.
  • Goal: Recharge groundwater, reduce surface runoff, prevent soil erosion, reduce flood risk, make water available locally.
  • Traditional Methods (Vary across India):
    • Khadins and Nadis (Rajasthan) - Earthen embankments/check dams and small ponds.
    • Bandharas and Tals (Maharashtra) - Check dams.
    • Bundhis (Madhya Pradesh & Uttar Pradesh)
    • Ahars and Pynes (Bihar) - Reservoirs and channels.
    • Kulhs (Himachal Pradesh) - Water channels for irrigation in hilly areas.
    • Ponds, lakes, Eris or Tanks (Tamil Nadu)
  • Advantages of Local Water Harvesting: Relatively low cost, community-managed, environmentally benign, recharges groundwater effectively.
  • Modern Method: Rooftop rainwater harvesting (collecting rainwater from roofs and directing it to storage tanks or percolation pits to recharge groundwater). Compulsory in some states/cities.
• Groundwater: A crucial resource, but its level is depleting rapidly in many areas due to over-extraction, especially via tube wells for irrigation. Water harvesting helps recharge it.

4. Coal and Petroleum

• Fossil Fuels: Formed from the buried remains of ancient organisms (plants and animals) over millions of years under high pressure and temperature.
• Nature: Non-renewable, finite resources. Current consumption rates far exceed formation rates. Estimates suggest coal may last another ~200 years, petroleum perhaps ~40-60 years at current rates.
• Uses: Major sources of energy for industries, transportation (petrol, diesel), thermal power plants (coal), domestic use (LPG, Kerosene). Petroleum by-products used for plastics, fertilizers, synthetic fibers, etc.
• Problems Associated with Use:
  • Air Pollution: Burning releases oxides of carbon (CO, CO2), nitrogen (NOx), and sulfur (SOx).
    • CO (Carbon Monoxide): Poisonous gas, reduces oxygen-carrying capacity of blood.
    • CO2 (Carbon Dioxide): Greenhouse gas, contributes to global warming and climate change.
    • SOx and NOx: Cause acid rain, which damages buildings, forests, aquatic life, and affects soil fertility. Respiratory problems.
• Conservation Strategies:
  • Reduce Consumption:
    • Use public transport, carpooling, cycling, walking.
    • Switch off lights, fans, engines when not needed.
    • Use energy-efficient appliances (LED bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs or CFLs).
    • Improve engine efficiency in vehicles.
  • Increase Efficiency: Improve technology in power plants and industries to get more energy from the same amount of fuel.
  • Switch to Alternatives: Promote the use of renewable energy sources like solar energy, wind energy, hydropower, geothermal energy, biogas.

5. An Overview of Natural Resource Management: The 5 R's

A strategy to reduce pressure on resources and minimize environmental damage:

• Refuse: Say NO to things you don't need and to products harmful to the environment (e.g., single-use plastics).
• Reduce: Consume less. Buy only what you need. Save electricity, water, fuel. Avoid wastage.
• Reuse: Use things again and again instead of throwing them away (e.g., reuse plastic containers, use cloth bags instead of disposable ones, use refillable pens). This is better than recycling as it saves energy.
• Repurpose: Use a product for a purpose other than its original one (e.g., use cracked crockery to grow small plants, use old tyres for seating).
• Recycle: Collect waste materials (plastic, paper, glass, metal) and process them to make new products. Requires energy but reduces the demand for fresh raw materials and landfill space. Segregation of waste is crucial for effective recycling.

Key Takeaway for Exams: Management of natural resources requires a balanced approach considering ecological sustainability, economic viability, and social equity. Individual actions, community participation, and government policies are all essential. Sustainable development is the overarching goal.

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

Here are 10 MCQs based on the chapter for your practice:

1. Which of the following is a major stakeholder group in forest management whose traditional practices often contribute to conservation?
   a) Industrialists using timber
   b) Forest Department officials
   c) Local communities living near forests
   d) Wildlife photographers

2. The Chipko Andolan originated in which state of India?
   a) Himachal Pradesh
   b) Rajasthan
   c) Uttarakhand
   d) West Bengal

3. Which of the following is NOT a primary advantage of building large dams?
   a) Generation of hydroelectricity
   b) Ensuring equitable distribution of water to downstream areas
   c) Providing water for irrigation
   d) Flood control

4. Khadins, Bandharas, Ahars, and Kulhs are traditional methods primarily associated with:
   a) Forest conservation
   b) Wildlife protection
   c) Water harvesting
   d) Soil conservation

5. Burning of fossil fuels like coal and petroleum releases oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, which primarily cause:
   a) Ozone layer depletion
   b) Global warming
   c) Acid rain
   d) Eutrophication

6. Which of the '5 R's' involves using an item for a different function after its original use is over?
   a) Reduce
   b) Reuse
   c) Repurpose
   d) Recycle

7. Amrita Devi Bishnoi is associated with the protection of which trees and community in Rajasthan?
   a) Sal trees, Gond community
   b) Teak trees, Bhil community
   c) Khejri trees, Bishnoi community
   d) Banyan trees, Santhal community

8. Sustainable development aims to:
   a) Maximize resource exploitation for current economic growth.
   b) Conserve all resources without using them.
   c) Meet present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their needs.
   d) Focus solely on environmental protection, ignoring economic factors.

9. Which of the following is a non-renewable natural resource?
   a) Forests
   b) Wildlife
   c) Wind energy
   d) Natural Gas

10. The main reason for the decrease in groundwater levels in many parts of India is:
    a) Decreased rainfall
    b) Over-extraction for agriculture and domestic use
    c) Increased number of dams
    d) Afforestation programs

Answer Key for MCQs:

1. c) Local communities living near forests
2. c) Uttarakhand
3. b) Ensuring equitable distribution of water to downstream areas (This is often a point of conflict, not an advantage)
4. c) Water harvesting
5. c) Acid rain
6. c) Repurpose
7. c) Khejri trees, Bishnoi community
8. c) Meet present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their needs.
9. d) Natural Gas
10. b) Over-extraction for agriculture and domestic use

Study these notes thoroughly. Remember to link the concepts – how deforestation affects the water cycle, how fossil fuel use impacts air quality, and how sustainable practices like the 5 R's can help mitigate these issues. Good luck with your preparation!