Introduction:
It starts with 2 examples.
Mamba's Life in Tanzania, Africa:
Lives in a small village in Tanzania.
Fetches water early morning, walking a long distance.
Helps mother at home, takes care of goats with brothers.
Family owns rocky land, father struggles to grow enough maize and beans.
Insufficient harvest to feed the family for the entire year.
Peter's Life in New Zealand:
Resides in the sheep rearing region of New Zealand.
Family operates a wool processing factory.
Peter observes his uncle managing sheep on a grassy plain with distant hills.
Sheep rearing employs advanced technology and scientific methods.
Family practices organic farming, growing vegetables.
Differences in Lives:
Mamba and Peter live in different parts of the world.
Disparities arise from variations in land, soil, water, natural vegetation, animals, and technology.
Resources' availability is the primary factor contributing to regional differences.
Land:
Land as Crucial Natural Resource:
Land is a vital natural resource.
Covers only 30% of Earth's surface.
Not all parts are habitable.
Uneven Distribution of Population:
Population distribution linked to land and climate.
Rugged topography, mountain slopes, low-lying areas, deserts, and dense forests tend to be sparsely populated.
Plains and river valleys, suitable for agriculture, are densely populated regions globally.
Land Use :
Land Use for Various Purposes:
Utilized for agriculture, forestry, mining, housing, roads, and industries.
Collective term for these applications is Land use.
Factors Influencing Land Use:
Determined by physical factors: topography, soil, climate, minerals, and water availability.
Human factors like population and technology also play a crucial role.
Land Ownership Classification:
Private land: Owned by individuals.
Community land: Owned collectively for common purposes like collecting fodder, fruits, nuts, or medicinal herbs.
Challenges in Land Use:
Increasing population and demands.
Limited availability and varying quality of land.
Encroachment on common lands for commercial and residential development, agricultural expansion.
Impact on Environment:
Changes in land use patterns reflect cultural shifts.
Land degradation, landslides, soil erosion, and desertification pose significant environmental threats due to agricultural and construction expansion.
Impact of Growing Population:
Rising demand results in extensive destruction of forests and arable land.
Fear of losing these vital natural resources emerges.
Need for Land Conservation:
Urgent requirement to curb the current rate of land degradation.
Conservation Methods:
Afforestation: Planting trees to replenish lost forest cover.
Land reclamation: Recovering and restoring degraded land.
Regulated use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers: Balancing agricultural practices.
Checks on overgrazing: Preventing excessive grazing to preserve land resources.
Soil :
Definition of Soil:
Thin layer covering the Earth's surface.
Tightly connected to land.
Soil Composition:
Comprised of organic matter, minerals, and weathered rocks.
Formation through the weathering process.
Landforms Influence Soil:
Type of soil determined by landforms.
Fertility Factors:
Fertility depends on the proper mix of minerals and organic matter in the soil.
Landslides and Mitigation:Â
Definition of Landslides:
Mass movement of rock, debris, or earth down a slope.
Associations with Natural Events:
Often linked with earthquakes, floods, and volcanoes.
Rainfall Impact:
Prolonged heavy rainfall can trigger significant landslides.
Resulting landslides may block river flow, causing downstream havoc upon bursting.
Concern in Hilly Terrain:
Hilly areas experience widespread landslides, a major natural disaster.
Significant threat to life and property, prompting major concern.
Scientific Advances and Mitigation Techniques:
Scientific advancements help understand landslide causes and management.
Mitigation techniques include:
Hazard mapping to identify landslide-prone areas, avoiding settlements there.
Construction of retention walls to prevent land slipping.
Increasing vegetation cover to mitigate landslides.
Implementing surface drainage control to manage landslide movement with rainwater and spring flows.
Factors of Soil Formation:
Primary factors include the nature of the parent rock and climatic conditions.
Additional factors involve topography, the influence of organic material, and the time required for soil composition.
Degradation of Soil and Conservation Measures
Threats to Soil:
Soil erosion and depletion pose major threats.
Human and natural factors contribute to soil degradation.
Degradation factors include deforestation, overgrazing, chemical fertilizer or pesticide overuse, rain wash, landslides, and floods.
Soil Conservation Methods:
Mulching: Covering bare ground between plants with organic matter like straw to retain soil moisture.
Contour barriers: Building barriers along contours using stones, grass, and soil, with trenches to collect water.
Rock dam: Piling rocks to slow water flow, preventing gullies and soil loss.
Terrace farming: Creating broad flat steps on steep slopes to reduce surface runoff and soil erosion.
Intercropping: Growing different crops in alternate rows and at different times to protect soil from rain wash.
Contour ploughing: Ploughing parallel to hill contours to create a natural barrier for water flow.
Shelter belts: Planting rows of trees in coastal and dry regions to control wind movement and protect soil cover.
Water
Water as a Vital Resource:
Three-fourths of Earth's surface covered with water, earning it the name "water planet."
Oceans, where life began 3.5 billion years ago, still cover two-thirds of the Earth and support diverse plant and animal life.
Freshwater Availability:
Freshwater is only about 2.7%, with 70% locked in ice sheets and glaciers in inaccessible regions.
Only 1% of freshwater is available for human use, found in groundwater, surface water, and atmospheric water vapor.
Water's Precious Nature:
Freshwater is the most precious substance on Earth, with a constant volume.
Abundance seems to vary due to the continuous water cycle—evaporation, precipitation, and runoff.
Human Water Usage:
Humans use significant amounts of water for drinking, washing, and production processes.
Water is essential for agriculture, industries, and electricity generation through dam reservoirs.
Challenges and Factors Affecting Water Supply:
Increasing population, demands for food and cash crops, urbanization, and rising standards of living contribute to freshwater shortages.
Shortages arise from water sources drying up or pollution.
Problems of Water Availability
Global Water Scarcity:
Many regions worldwide, including Africa, West Asia, South Asia, parts of western USA, north-west Mexico, South America, and Australia, face water scarcity.
Countries in drought-prone climatic zones encounter significant water shortage issues.
Causes of Water Scarcity:
Scarcity results from variations in seasonal or annual precipitation.
Overexploitation and contamination of water sources contribute to shortages.
Conservation of Water Resources :Â
Global Water Challenges:
Access to clean and sufficient water is a significant global issue.
Conservation Measures:
Overuse and pollution, mainly from untreated sewage, agricultural chemicals, and industrial effluents, render water unfit for use.
Contaminants like nitrates, metals, and pesticides, often non-biodegradable, reach humans through water.
Pollution Control:
Treating effluents before releasing them into water bodies can help control water pollution.
Natural Conservation Methods:
Forests and vegetation slow surface runoff and replenish underground water.
Water harvesting and lined canals reduce losses by seepage.
Sprinklers and drip irrigation methods minimize water losses through seepage and evaporation.
Overall Water Conservation:
Adoption of these measures in irrigation helps conserve the valuable water resource.
Natural Vegetation and Wildlife
Biosphere and Ecosystem:
Natural vegetation and wildlife thrive in the biosphere, the interface of lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere.
Interconnected living beings form an ecosystem, supporting life and relying on each other for survival.
Value of Vegetation:
Plants offer resources like timber, shelter, oxygen, soil protection, and various products.
Essential roles include acting as shelter belts, aiding water storage, and providing fruits, nuts, latex, medicinal plants, and paper.
Wildlife Importance:
Wildlife encompasses animals, birds, insects, and aquatic life.
Vital for human needs such as milk, meat, hides, wool, and honey.
Insects, like bees, contribute to pollination and act as decomposers.
Birds play a role in insect control and decomposition.
Scavengers like vultures contribute to environmental cleansing.
Integral Role in Ecosystem:
Animals, regardless of size, are crucial for maintaining ecosystem balance.
Distribution of Natural Vegetation
Factors Affecting Vegetation:
Growth depends on temperature and moisture.
Major Vegetation Types:
Forests, grasslands, scrubs, and tundra.
Association with Water Supply:
Abundant water supports forests with huge trees.
Decreased moisture results in smaller, less dense trees and forms grasslands.
Dry areas with low rainfall host thorny shrubs and scrubs.
Adaptations to Dry Areas:
Plants in arid regions have deep roots and thorny, waxy leaves to minimize moisture loss.
Tundra Vegetation in Cold Regions:
Polar tundra features mosses and lichens.
Human Impact on Forests:
Increasing global population has led to deforestation for agriculture.
Urgent need to conserve dwindling forest cover.
Conservation of Natural Vegetation and Wildlife
Forests as Essential Wealth:
Forests provide shelter, maintaining ecosystems with plants and animals.
Climate changes and human interference can disrupt natural habitats, leading to species vulnerability and extinction.
Threats to Wildlife:
Deforestation, soil erosion, construction, forest fires, tsunamis, and landslides accelerate extinction processes.
Poaching, illegal trade of animal parts (skins, nails, teeth, horns, feathers) endanger species like tiger, lion, elephant, deer, and rhinoceros.
Conservation Measures:
National parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and biosphere reserves established to protect natural resources.
Conservation of creeks, lakes, and wetlands is vital.
Environmental balance disrupted by human activities affecting natural habitats.
Awareness Programs:
Social forestry and community-level initiatives like Vanamohatasava encouraged.
School programs promote bird watching and nature camps for habitat appreciation.
Legal Measures:
Laws in many countries, including India, prohibit killing and trade of endangered species like lions, tigers, deers, bustards, and peacocks.
International convention CITES bans trade in certain animal and bird species.
Ethical Duty of Citizens:
Conservation of plants and animals is seen as an ethical duty for every citizen.
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