NATURAL RESOURCES – COMPLETE SMART SHORT NOTES

Biology & Environmental Studies – Exam Special
Topic: Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation
Useful for OTET, CTET, OSSTET, B.Ed, Junior Teacher, Odisha Competitive Exams and other examinations.

1. Meaning of Natural Resources

Natural resources are materials and substances obtained from nature that are useful to living organisms.
Examples: Air, water, soil, forests, wildlife, minerals and sunlight.
They support life and economic development.
They maintain ecological balance.

2. Classification of Resources

A. Based on Origin

Biotic Resources	Abiotic Resources
Obtained from living organisms.	Obtained from non-living components.
Plants, animals, forests, fisheries.	Air, water, soil, sunlight, minerals.

B. Based on Exhaustibility

Renewable Resources	Non-renewable Resources
Naturally replenished.	Finite or replenished extremely slowly.
Solar, wind, water, forests (if sustainably managed).	Coal, petroleum, natural gas and many mineral deposits.

C. Based on Ownership

Individual Resources: Owned by individuals; e.g. private land.
Community Resources: Shared by communities; e.g. village ponds and public parks.
National Resources: Resources within a nation's jurisdiction; e.g. forests, rivers and minerals.
International Resources: Resources beyond national jurisdiction, governed by international arrangements.

D. Based on Status of Development

Type	Meaning
Potential	Available but not fully utilised.
Developed	Surveyed and currently utilised.
Stock	Available but technology for economical use is lacking.
Reserves	Can be used with existing technology but conserved for future use.

3. Major Types of Natural Resources

Forest resources
Water resources
Land resources
Soil resources
Mineral resources
Energy resources
Food resources
Wildlife resources

4. Forest Resources

Forests are important renewable biological resources.
Absorb CO₂ and store carbon.
Release oxygen through photosynthesis.
Prevent soil erosion.
Maintain biodiversity.
Regulate climate and the water cycle.

Term	Meaning
Deforestation	Removal of forests.
Afforestation	Establishing forests on non-forest land.
Reforestation	Replanting trees in deforested areas.
Social Forestry	Growing trees for community needs.
Agroforestry	Growing trees with crops or livestock.
Silviculture	Science of growing and managing forests.

5. Water Resources

About 71% of Earth's surface is covered by water.
Approximately 97.5% of Earth's water is saline.
Only about 2.5% is freshwater.
Major freshwater sources: Glaciers, groundwater, rivers and lakes.

Rainwater harvesting: Collection and storage of rainwater.
Groundwater: Water stored below Earth's surface.
Watershed: Land area draining into a common outlet.
Drought: Prolonged shortage of water.
Flood: Overflow of water onto normally dry land.
Desalination: Removal of salts from seawater.

6. Land and Soil Resources

Soil is the upper layer of Earth's crust that supports plant growth.
Soil formation – Pedogenesis.
Humus – Decomposed organic matter.
Topsoil – Uppermost soil layer.
Soil erosion – Removal of topsoil by wind or water.
Soil conservation – Protection of soil from degradation.

Methods of Soil Conservation

Afforestation
Terrace farming
Contour ploughing
Strip cropping
Shelter belts
Controlled grazing

Types of Soil in India

Soil	Important Feature
Alluvial	River deposits; generally fertile.
Black	Clayey; retains moisture.
Red	Colour due to iron compounds.
Laterite	Intense leaching.
Arid	Sandy; generally low in humus.
Mountain	Found in hilly regions.

7. Mineral Resources

Mineral	Main Use
Iron	Steel production
Copper	Electrical wires
Bauxite	Aluminium production
Manganese	Steel industry
Limestone	Cement
Gold	Jewellery
Mica	Electrical insulation

Types of Minerals

Metallic: Iron, copper, gold and bauxite.
Non-metallic: Mica, limestone and gypsum.
Energy minerals: Coal, petroleum and uranium.

8. Energy Resources

A. Conventional Sources

Coal
Petroleum
Natural gas
Hydroelectricity

B. Non-conventional Sources

Solar energy
Wind energy
Tidal energy
Geothermal energy
Biomass energy

Energy Source	Important Fact
Solar	Obtained from the Sun.
Wind	Uses moving air.
Tidal	Uses ocean tides.
Geothermal	Heat from Earth's interior.
Biomass	Organic matter.
Hydroelectric	Flowing or falling water.

Remember: Conventional/non-conventional and renewable/non-renewable are different classification systems. Hydropower is renewable, whereas coal is non-renewable.

9. Food and Wildlife Resources

Food Resources

Agriculture
Fisheries
Animal husbandry
Forestry

Wildlife Resources

Include wild animals, birds and other wild organisms.
Maintain food chains and ecological balance.
Conservation methods include national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and biosphere reserves.

10. Conservation of Natural Resources

3R Principle

Reduce: Use fewer resources.
Reuse: Use materials again.
Recycle: Convert waste into useful products.

Sustainable Development

Development that meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Three pillars:

Environmental sustainability
Economic sustainability
Social sustainability

11. Environmental Movements in India

Movement	Region	Main Purpose
Chipko	Uttarakhand	Forest protection
Appiko	Karnataka	Forest conservation
Silent Valley	Kerala	Protect tropical evergreen forest
Narmada Bachao Andolan	Narmada Valley	River valley projects, displacement and environmental concerns
Bishnoi tradition	Rajasthan	Protection of trees and wildlife

Important Personalities

Chipko – Sunderlal Bahuguna, Chandi Prasad Bhatt and Gaura Devi.
Appiko – Pandurang Hegde.
Narmada Bachao Andolan – Medha Patkar.
Bishnoi tradition – Amrita Devi Bishnoi.

12. International Environmental Conferences and Summits

Year	Event	Place
1972	Stockholm Conference	Stockholm, Sweden
1987	Brundtland Report	Our Common Future
1992	Earth Summit (UNCED)	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
1997	Earth Summit +5	New York
2002	World Summit on Sustainable Development (Rio+10)	Johannesburg
2012	Rio+20	Rio de Janeiro
2015	UN Sustainable Development Summit	New York
2022	Stockholm+50	Stockholm

A. Stockholm Conference – 1972

First major UN conference on the human environment.
Held in Stockholm, Sweden, from 5–16 June 1972.
Adopted Stockholm Declaration with 26 principles.
Led to the establishment of UNEP.
World Environment Day is observed on 5 June.

B. Brundtland Commission – 1983

Also called World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED).
Established in 1983.
Chaired by Gro Harlem Brundtland.
Published Our Common Future in 1987.
Popularised sustainable development.

C. Earth Summit – 1992

Official name: United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED).
Held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Dates: 3–14 June 1992.
Also called Rio Summit.
Main focus: Environment and sustainable development.

Major Outcomes:

Agenda 21 – Global action plan for sustainable development.
Rio Declaration – 27 principles.
Forest Principles – Guidelines for sustainable forest management.
UNFCCC – Climate change framework convention.
CBD – Convention on Biological Diversity.

Negotiations that led to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) also followed the Earth Summit.

D. Johannesburg Summit – 2002

Official name: World Summit on Sustainable Development.
Held in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Also called Rio+10.
Adopted Johannesburg Declaration.
Produced Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.

E. Rio+20 – 2012

Held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 20–22 June 2012.
Official name: UN Conference on Sustainable Development.
Outcome document: The Future We Want.
Started the process of developing SDGs.

F. Sustainable Development Summit – 2015

Held in New York.
Adopted 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Established 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
169 targets are associated with the 17 goals.

13. International Environmental Agreements

Agreement	Year	Main Objective
Ramsar Convention	1971	Wetland conservation
CITES	1973	Control trade in endangered species
Bonn Convention (CMS)	1979	Conservation of migratory species
Vienna Convention	1985	Ozone layer protection
Montreal Protocol	1987	Control ozone-depleting substances
Basel Convention	1989	Hazardous waste movement
UNFCCC	1992	Climate change
CBD	1992	Biodiversity conservation
UNCCD	1994	Combat desertification
Kyoto Protocol	1997	Emission targets for developed countries
Cartagena Protocol	2000	Biosafety
Nagoya Protocol	2010	Access and benefit-sharing
Paris Agreement	2015	Climate change action

14. Important Environmental Organisations

Organisation	Headquarters
UNEP	Nairobi, Kenya
UNESCO	Paris, France
WWF International	Gland, Switzerland
IUCN	Gland, Switzerland
WHO	Geneva, Switzerland
FAO	Rome, Italy
IPCC	Geneva, Switzerland

UNEP – United Nations Environment Programme.
WWF – World Wide Fund for Nature.
IUCN – International Union for Conservation of Nature.
IPCC – Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
FAO – Food and Agriculture Organization.

15. Important Environmental Days

Date	Day
2 February	World Wetlands Day
3 March	World Wildlife Day
21 March	International Day of Forests
22 March	World Water Day
22 April	Earth Day
22 May	International Day for Biological Diversity
5 June	World Environment Day
8 June	World Oceans Day
16 September	World Ozone Day
5 December	World Soil Day

16. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Total SDGs – 17.
Adopted – 2015.
Target year – 2030.
Also known as Global Goals.
Total targets – 169.
Replaced the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

SDG No.	Goal
6	Clean Water and Sanitation
7	Affordable and Clean Energy
11	Sustainable Cities and Communities
12	Responsible Consumption and Production
13	Climate Action
14	Life Below Water
15	Life on Land

17. Important One-Liners for Competitive Exams

First major UN environmental conference – Stockholm, 1972.
Earth Summit – Rio de Janeiro, 1992.
Rio+10 – Johannesburg, 2002.
Rio+20 – Rio de Janeiro, 2012.
Stockholm Declaration – 26 principles.
Rio Declaration – 27 principles.
Agenda 21 – Sustainable development action plan.
UNEP headquarters – Nairobi.
Brundtland Report – Our Common Future.
Brundtland Report – 1987.
World Environment Day – 5 June.
Ozone protection – Montreal Protocol.
Wetland conservation – Ramsar Convention.
Biodiversity conservation – CBD.
Climate change framework – UNFCCC.
Hazardous waste – Basel Convention.
Endangered species trade – CITES.
Sustainable Development Goals – 17.
SDG target year – 2030.
Chipko Movement – Forest conservation.
Appiko Movement – Karnataka.
Silent Valley Movement – Kerala.
Narmada Bachao Andolan – Medha Patkar.
Solar energy – Renewable resource.
Coal – Non-renewable resource.

18. Quick Revision – Important Years

Year	Event
1972	Stockholm Conference
1987	Brundtland Report
1992	Earth Summit
1997	Kyoto Protocol
2002	Johannesburg Summit
2012	Rio+20
2015	SDGs and Paris Agreement

EXAM MEMORY TRICK
1972 – Stockholm
1987 – Brundtland
1992 – Earth Summit
1997 – Kyoto Protocol
2002 – Johannesburg
2012 – Rio+20
2015 – SDGs and Paris Agreement

19. Official Study Resources

FINAL EXAM TIP:
Focus on resource classification, renewable and non-renewable resources, conservation, environmental movements, Earth Summit, international conventions, important organisations, environmental days and SDGs.

Natural Resources Environmental Studies Earth Summit Biodiversity OTET CTET OSSTET B.Ed

Laxmidhar Sir . CT BED OTET NOTES .All Study Materials Available

Resources – Complete Short Notes, Types, Earth Summit & Environmental Conventions