RINCY BABU ROLL NO:122

ONLINE ASSIGNMENT

Topic : Natural resources

Submitted To   : Mrs. Radha

Submitted   By : Miss Rincy Babu Optional            : Natural Science

Register No       : 13981026

INDEX

SL NO	CONTENT	PAGE NO
1	INTRODUCTION	1
2	CONTENT DEVELOPMENT	2
3	NATURAL RESOURCES	2
4	FOREST	2-3
5	WETLANDS	4
6	MANGROOVE	5
7	SECRED GROOVE	6-7
8	CONCLUTION	8
9	REFERENCE	9

                                                                                

INTRODUCTION

N

atural   resources occur   naturally   within   environments   that  exist  relatively  undisturbed by mankind, in a natural form. A natural resource is often characterized by amounts of   biodiversity   and geo-diversity   existent   in   various ecosystem. Natural resources are derived from the environment. Some of the resources are essential to survival, while others merely satisfy societal wants.

 Every man-made product in an economy is composed of natural resources to some degree. Natural resources are very important to all communities throughout the world. Natural resources are also very important to the economy of a community. Different communities around the world use the natural resources around them to make their lives better. Forest ,wetland ,mangroves, sacred grooves etc are all examples of natural resources. Forests are an extremely important natural resource that can potentially be sustainably harvested and managed to yield a diversity of commodities of economic importance.

 Biodiversity keeps the ecological processes in a balanced state, which is necessary for human survival. Therefore ,the biodiversity-rich sacred groves are of immense ecological significance. They also play an important role in the conservation of flora and fauna. Besides, several rare and threatened species are found only in sacred groves, which are, perhaps, the last refuge for these vulnerable species. Several ecological studies have been carried out in these sacred forest patches. Floristic composition of sacred groves in different parts of India. Biodiversity keeps the ecological processes in a balanced state, which is necessary for human survival. Therefore, the biodiversity-rich sacred groves are of immense ecological significance. They also play an important role in the conservation of flora and fauna. 

  

CONTENT DEVELOPMENT

NATURAL RESOURCES

Natural resources are very important to all communities throughout the world. Natural resources are also very important to the economy of a community. Different communities around the world use the natural resources around them to make their lives better. Forest ,wetland ,mangroves sacred grooves etc are all examples of natural resources.

v  FOREST

A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending on various cultural definitions, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have different classifications according to how and of what the forest is composed.^[1] A forest is usually an area filled with trees but any tall densely packed area of vegetation may be considered a forest, even underwater vegetation such as kelp forests, or non-vegetation such as fungi,^[2] and bacteria. Tree forests cover approximately 9.4 percent of the Earth's surface (or 30 percent of total land area), though they once covered much more (about 50 percent of total land area). They function as habitats for organisms, hydrologic flow modulators, and soil conservers, constituting one of the most important aspects of the biosphere.

Forests are an extremely important natural resource that can potentially be sustainably harvested and managed to yield a diversity of commodities of economic importance. Wood is by far the most important product harvested from forests. The wood is commonly manufactured into paper, lumber, plywood, and other products. In addition, in most of the forested regions of the less-developed world firewood is the most important resources of energy used for cooking and other purposes. Potentially, all of these forest products can be sustainably harvested.    

Types of Forests

Tropical rainforests
Hugely dense, lush forest with canopies preventing sunlight from getting to the floor of the forest.
All year high temperatures and abundant rainfall.
Located near the equator. 
A vital storehouse of biodiversity, sustaining millions of different animals, birds, algae and fish species.

Sub-tropical forests
Located at the south and north of the tropical forests. 
Trees here are adapted to resist the summer drought.

Mediterranean forests 
Located at the south of the temperate regions around the coasts of the Mediterranean, California, Chile and Western Australia. 
The growing season is short and almost all trees are evergreen, but mixed with hardwood and      softwood.

Temperate forests 
Located at Eastern North America, Northeastern Asia, and western and eastern Europe. 
Mix of deciduous and coniferous evergreen trees. 
Usually, the broad-leaved hardwood trees shed leaves annually. 
There are well-defined seasons with a distinct winter and sufficient rainfall.

Coniferous forests 
Located in the cold, windy regions around the poles. 
They come in both hardwoods and conifers. 
The hardwoods are deciduous.
The conifers are evergreen and structurally adapted to withstand the long drought-like conditions of the long winters.

Montane forests 
Known as cloud forests because they receive most of their precipitation from the mist or fog that comes up from the lowlands. 
Usually found in high-elevation tropical, subtropical and temperate zones. 
Plants and animals in these forests are adapted to withstanding the cold, wet conditions and intense sunlight.
Trees are mainly conifers.

Plantation forests
Has around 7% of global forest cover (140 million hectares). 
Produces more sustainable timber and fibre than natural forests.
Plantations produce around 40% of industrial wood. 
Plantation forests are on the increase.

Many other plant products can also be collected from forests, such as fruits, nuts, mushrooms, and latex for manufacturing rubber. In addition, many species of animals are hunted in forests, for recreation or for subsistence. Forests provide additional goods and services that are important to both human welfare and to ecological integrity, including the control of erosion and water flows, and the cleansing of air and water of pollutants.

v  WETLAND

A wetland is a land area that is saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, such that it takes on the characteristics of a distinct ecosystem Wetlands are areas where water is the primary factor controlling the environment and the associated plant and animal life. They occur where the water table is at or near the surface of the land, or where the land is covered by water. 
 

 Five major wetland types are generally recognized: 

Marine (coastal wetlands including coastal lagoons, rocky shores, and coral reefs);

Estuarine (including deltas, tidal marshes, and mangrove swamps);

Lacustrine (wetlands associated with lakes);

Riverine (wetlands along rivers and streams); and

Palustrine (meaning “marshy” - marshes, swamps and bogs).

 Wetlands are among the world’s most productive environments. They are cradles of biological diversity, providing the water and primary productivity upon which countless species of plants and animals depend for survival. They support high concentrations of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrate species. Wetlands are also important storehouses of plant genetic material. Rice, for example, which is a common wetland plant, is the staple diet of more than half of humanity. Primarily, the factor that distinguishes wetlands from other land forms or water bodies is the characteristic vegetation that is adapted to its unique soil conditions. Wetlands consist primarily of hydric soil, which supports aquatic plants.

Wetlands play a number of roles in the environment, principally water purification, flood control, and shoreline stability. Wetlands are also considered the most biologically diverse of all ecosystems, serving as home to a wide range of plant and animal life.

. Wetlands have also been described as ecotones, providing a transition between dry land and water bodies.
Wetlands provide tremendous economic benefits, for example: water supply (quantity and quality); fisheries (over two thirds of the world’s fish harvest is linked to the health of coastal and inland wetland areas); agriculture, through the maintenance of water tables and nutrient retention in floodplains; timber production; energy resources, such as peat and plant matter; wildlife resources; transport; and recreation and tourism opportunities.

In addition, wetlands have special attributes as part of the cultural heritage of humanity: they are related to religious and cosmological beliefs, constitute a source of aesthetic inspiration, provide wildlife sanctuaries, and form the basis of important local traditions.

These functions, values and attributes can only be maintained if the ecological processes of wetlands are allowed to continue functioning. Unfortunately, and in spite of important progress made in recent decades, wetlands continue to be among the world’s most threatened ecosystems, owing mainly to ongoing drainage, conversion, pollution, and over-exploitation of their resource

MANGROVE

Mangroves (or more correctly mangal forests) are a distinctive vegetation type occupying the intertidal areas of much of the Northern Territory coast and lower reaches of many rivers.

The Northern Territory includes some of the world's most extensive and diverse mangrove associations. Much of the ecology of mangrove areas is dictated by the pattern of tidal movement. For example, there is typically a well-defined zonation of dominant plant species from the tall white mangrove Sonneratia alba on the seaward side through to the smaller Ceriops tagal on the landward side. Other distinctive mangrove plants include       the            stilt-rooted mangrove Rhizophora stylosa, which produces a maze of arching stilt roots from the trunk and slender aerial roots from branches, the cannonball mangrove Xylocarpus australasicus, which bears large 'monkey-puzzle' fruits, the         mangrove        fern Acrostichum speciosum and the mangrove palm Nypa fruticans. However, mangrove formations typically have relatively low plant species diversity, and only about 25 tree species and 25 other plant species are closely associated with mangrove formations in the Northern Territory.

Mangroves provide nursery habitat for many wildlife species, including commercial fish and crustaceans, and thus contribute to sustaining the local abundance of fish and shellfish populations          Mangrove systems support a range of wildlife species including crocodiles, birds, tigers, deer, monkeys and honey bees. Many animals find shelter either in the roots or branches of mangroves. Mangroves serve as rookeries, or nesting areas, for coastal birds such as brown pelicans and roseate spoonbills. Many migratory species depend on mangroves for part of their seasonal migrations.

Mangroves maintain coastal water quality by abiotic and biotic retention, removal, and cycling of nutrients, pollutants, and particulate matter from land-based sources, filtering these materials from water before they reach seaward coral reef and seagrass habitats.^[10] Mangrove root systems slow water flow, facilitating the deposition of sediment. Toxins and nutrients can be bound to sediment particles or within the molecular lattice of clay particles and are removed during sediment deposition. Compared with the expense of constructing a wastewater treatment plant, mangroves are commonly selected as receiving areas of effluent. Increasingly the notion of specifically constructed mangrove wetlands is being adopted and used for treatment of aquaculture and sewage effluents

   SACRED GROVES

Sacred groves have existed in  India from  the time immemorial. These are densely wooded area left one the religious ground for the purpose of conserving and protecting biological diversity in-situ. Sacred groves are found in many party of India -from Meghalaya in the north-east to Rajasthan I the west and I any places along the Western Ghats. In Kerala these islands of greenery are called “kavu”. They are also referred to as “sarpakavu” denoting hat they are the habitats o snakes. Often these are seen in association with temples and the deities  generally are Bhagwati or Naga-the snake god. These forests have  along been conserved in the name of religion. In Mizoram, the tribal save traditionally  protected small sacred groves adjacent to village woodlots. They aptly called the groves ‘safety forests’.

The sacred groves are so well preserved that many wild animals and birds find safe shelter here. These groves also pa a major ecological role by retaining water and soil in difficult terrain. Sacred groves range In  area from  a small  patches of vegetation to hundreds of hectares of forest land. In most of these  groves all forms of vegetation, including shrubs, wines, climbers and trees, are found. These are supposed to belongs to the deity.  Grazing and hunting are prohibited, and only  the removal of dead wood is allowed. One sacred grove in Mawphlang, 25km from shilling, has a deity so powerful that, it is believed, anyone who damaged he grove dies. Sacred groves have a great significance from the point of view of biodiversity  conservation because they contain some important species of flora and fauna that have been  lost in the surrounding

CONCLUSION

Every man-made product in an economy is composed of natural resources to some degree. Natural resources are very important to all communities throughout the world. Natural resources are also very important to the economy of a community. Different communities around the world use the natural resources around them to make their lives better. Forest ,wetland ,mangrove sacred grooves etc are all examples of natural resources.

Natural resources are necessary for providing the basic needs of humans: food, clothing, and shelter. Our very lives depend on clean air and water. Our ability to feed ourselves rests on maintaining the fertility of the soil in which we plant our crops. Crops will grow only if sufficient sunlight and water are available. All living creatures aslo depend on natural resources for their survival, reproduction, growth and development. Water supports the life system of human beings, vegetation, animals and birds, living creatures and wildlife. Similarly, forest resources, wild life resources, pasture land resources and mineral resources are essential for our welfare, development and prosperity.

Natural resource utilization is regulated through the use of taxes and permits. The government and individual states determine how resources must be used and they monitor the availability and status of the resources. An example of natural resource protection is the Clean Air Act. The act was designed in 1963 to control air pollution on a national level. Regulations were established to protect the public from airborne contaminants that are hazardous to human health. The act has been revised over the years to continue to protect the quality of the air and health of the public in the United States .Natural resources are the wealth of our nation so we protect the resources for it  sustainable use.

REFERENCE

§  Environmental biology ,ethology  and evolution -  k. vijayakumaran nair.

§  www.e.wikipedia. Org/wiki natural resources.

§  Simple. wikipedia org. wiki/ natural resources.

§  www.scrip .org/journal/nr.

§  Rashidafaridi/2008/02/26/ natural resource definition and classification.