GEOGRAPHY (VIII)-LESSON- 2 LAND, SOIL, WATER, NATURAL VEGETATION AND WILD LIFE RESOURCES (LESSON NOTES)

GEOGRAPHY (VIII)-LESSON- 2

LAND, SOIL, WATER, NATURAL VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES

(LESSON NOTES)

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v INTRODUCTION

Ø As you know that the resources are very important for us. We have learnt the classification of resources. These lessons focus on some important natural resources as land, soil, water, natural vegetation and wildlife resources etc. We will see their importance as well as their status and problems.

v LAND RESOURCES

Ø The land is an important natural resource which covers only 30 per cent of the earth’s surface.
 Ø Many parts of land is very less populated or uninhabited as the rugged topography, steep slopes mountain areas, water logging areas, desert areas, thick forested areas.

Ø Plains and river valleys offer suitable land for agriculture so these are densely populated areas.

Ø Land resources can be divided into two parts on the basis of ownership

§  Private land

§  Common property resources

Ø LAND USE

§  Land is use for all human activities. Its use depends on physical factors such as topography, soil, climate, mineral and availability of water and human factors as population and technology.

Ø Land degradation

§  Due to the excessive use of land for agricultural and constructional activities land become unfit for human use is called as land degradation.

§  Causes of land degradation-Landslides, soil erosion, desertification, deforestation etc.

Ø Conservation of land

§  To conserve the land, we must promote afforestation, check to overgraze, land reclamation and regulate the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers.

v SOIL

Ø The upper most layer of the land’s surface which have minerals is called soil. Soil is formed due to process of weathering.

Ø Factors of soil formation

§  The formation of soil is very slow process. It depends on the nature of parent rock, climate, relief features, flora, fauna, microorganisms and time.

v DEGRADATION OF SOIL

Ø Soil is degraded due to deforestation, overgrazing, overuse of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, erosion, landslides and floods leads to soil degradation.

v SOIL CONSERVATION

Ø Steps taken up to save the soil drom its degradation is calles as soil conservation. These methods can be used for soil conservation-

Ø Mulching:- The process of covering the bare ground between plants with a layer of organic matter like straw is called as mulching. This helps in retaining soil moisture.

Ø Contour barriers-The barriers like stone, grass, soil can used to slow down the water movement for conservation.

Ø Rock dam: The dams also held to reduce the speed of water to conserve the soil.

Ø Terrace farming- In hilly areas farming in done by making steps  to reduce soil erosion is called as terrace farming.

Ø Contour ploughing- Ploughing parallel to the contours of a hill slope to form the natural barrier is called as contour ploughing.

Ø Shelter belts: In the coastal and dry regions, rows of trees are planted to reduce the speed of air is called as shelter belts.

Ø Intercropping: Different crops are grown in alternate rows and are sown at different times to protect the soil from rain wash.

v WATER

Ø Water is very important renewable natural resources.

Ø Three-fourth of the earth surface is covered with water, but only 2.7 per cent water is fresh water, and only 1% of fresh water is available for human use.

Ø Water is cycling through the oceans, the air, the land and back again, through the processes of evaporation, precipitation and run-off. This as you already know is referred to as the ‘water cycle’. So the amount of water is constant.

Ø CAUSES OF SHORTAGE OF WATER

Ø These are the factors of shortage of water-

Ø Increasing population

Ø Rising demands for food and cash crops,

Ø Increasing urbanisation and rising standards of living

Ø Water pollution is also the causes of water shortage. It is due to discharge of untreated sewage, agricultural chemicals and industrial effluents in water bodies causes.

Ø Water scarcity regions-There is scarcity of water in many regions of the world. Most of Africa, West Asia, South Asia, parts of western USA, north-west Mexico, parts of South America and entire Australia are facing shortages of water.

Ø WATER CONSERVATION

§  Water is very essential so we have to conserve it. We can take these steps to conserve the water.

·       Water conservation can be done by afforestation, adopting effective techniques for irrigation, drip or trickle irrigation and promoting rainwater harvesting.

·       The canals should be properly lined to minimise losses by water seepage.

·       Water pollution can be controlled by treating these effluents suitably before releasing them in water bodies.

·       While brushing we should close the tap. We should not use shower while bathing. We should repair the leakages tapes.

v NATURAL VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE:

Ø Natural vegetation and wildlife exist only in the biosphere and they are interrelated and interdependent on each other for their survival. This system is called an ecosystem.

Ø Importance of natural vegetation and wild life

Ø Natural vegetation and wildlife both are valuable resources.

§  Plants provide us with timber, give shelter to animals, produce oxygen we breathe, protects soils so essential for growing crops, act as shelter belts, storage of underground water, give us fruits, nuts, latex, turpentine oil, gum, medicinal plants and also the paper. They are not only useful for us, but they also help in maintaining balance in nature.

§  Wildlife provides us milk, meat, hides and wool. Insects like bees provide us honey, help in pollination of flowers and have an important role to play as decomposers in the ecosystem. The birds feed on insects and act as decomposers as well. Vulture due to its ability to feed on dead livestock is a scavenger and considered a vital cleanser.

Ø Distribution Of Natural Vegetation

§  Major vegetations of the ecosystems are forests, grasslands, scrubs and Tundra.

§  Forest- The forests are thus associated with areas having abundant water supply. Forest can be classified into two types-

·       Evergreen Forest  

·         Deciduous forest

Evergreen Forest	Deciduous forest
These forest did not shed their leaves in a particular season.	Theses forest shed their leaves in a particular season.
They look evergreen almost the year.	They are called as monsoon forest.
Trees-Rosewood, Mahogany, Ebony etc.	Trees- Neem, Shisham, Peepal etc.
These can be classified according to areas- Tropical and Temperate	These can be classified according to areas- Tropical and Temperate

§  Grasslands- In the regions of moderate rainfall short trees and grassland are found.

§  Scrubs- In dry areas of low rainfall, thorny shrubs and scrubs grow. plants have deep roots and leaves have thorny and waxy surface to reduce loss of moisture.

§  Tundra- The vegetation of cold Polar Regions is known as tundra vegetation. It comprise of mosses and lichens.

Ø Causes of extinct of natural vegetation and wild life

§  Due to deforestation, soil erosion, constructional activities, forest fires, tsunami Tundra, landslides and poaching, many species of vegetation and wildlife have become extinct and many others are on the verge of extinction.

Ø Conservation Of Natural Vegetation And Wild Life

§  We can conserve natural vegetation and wildlife by these efforts-

§  By establishment of national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and biosphere reserves.

§  Awareness programmes like social forestry and Vanamohatasava should be encouraged at the regional and community level.

§  The government should make the rules like Killing of birds and animals are illegal.

v Other Important Points

Ø Ninety per cent of the world population occupies only thirty per cent of land area.

Ø Landslides are simply defined as the mass movement of rock, debris or earth down a slope.

Ø Weathering The breaking up and decay of exposed rocks, by temperature changes, frost action, plants, animals and man.

Ø In India soils could be alluvial, black, red, laterite, desertic and mountain soil.

Ø Amreli city in Saurastra region with a population of 1.25 lakhs is completely dependent on purchasing water from the nearby talukas.

Ø Rain water harvesting is the process of collecting rain water from roof tops and directing it to an appropriate location and storing if for future use.

Ø Vultures in the Indian subcontinent were dying due to diclofenac, a painkiller.

Ø National Park A natural area designated to protect the ecological integrity of one or more ecosystems for present and future generations.

Ø Biosphere reserves-The protected areas for the conservation of flora and fauna is known as biosphere reserve.

Ø CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an agreement to Bann the international trade hide the animals.

v Private Land: A part of land owned by a particular individual or group of individuals is called private land.

v Community Land: A part of land not owned by anyone but meant for use by a large group of people living in a society, is called community land.

v Deforestation: The action of cutting down trees is called deforestation.

v Afforestation: The action of planting trees is called afforestation.

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v Parent Rock: The original rock from which soil has been formed is called its parent rock.

v Scavenger: A bird or animal which feeds on dead livestock is called a scavenger.

v Vanamahotsava: The social programme of planting trees, organised at community level is called vanamahotsava.

v National Parks: A national park is a natural area supposed to be used to protect the ecological integrity of one or more ecosystems for the present and future generations.

v Wildlife Sanctuaries: A wildlife sanctuary is similar to a national park, but it is supposed to protect a particular animal, in some cases, or wildlife in general, in other cases.