Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation, and Wildlife Resources – Case-based Questions with Answers
Class 8
Geography — Chapter 2: Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation & Wildlife Resources
Subject: Social Science | NCERT-aligned Case-Based Questions (20)
CBSE Board Examinations — Systematic Order
- Periodic Tests / Formative Assessments
- Half-Yearly Examination
- Yearly (Annual) Examination
- Project Work & Practical Assessment
- Sample Papers / Revision Tests
Topic A — Land: Forms, Uses and Planning (4 Cases)
Case 1: A rapidly growing town sits on fertile alluvial plains. Farmers are being approached by developers wanting to buy land for housing.
Q1. What should local planners consider before allowing large-scale conversion of farmland to housing?
They should evaluate food security needs, soil fertility loss, long-term economic impacts, alternate land availability, zoning laws, and encourage compact urban growth or brownfield development to avoid losing prime agricultural land.
Case 2: A plateau region has discovered mineral deposits but the area has traditional grazing communities.
Q2. How can development balance mineral extraction and the rights of grazing communities?
Require environmental and social impact assessments, ensure fair compensation, set aside grazing corridors, rehabilitate mined land, employ locals, and implement strict pollution controls to protect livelihoods and ecosystems.
Case 3: Coastal land near a fishing village is being proposed for a new port to boost trade.
Q3. What environmental and social factors must be assessed before approving the port?
Assess impacts on fish breeding grounds, mangroves, shoreline erosion, livelihoods of fishers, pollution risks, and design mitigation like compensatory mangrove planting, designated fishing zones, and pollution control systems.
Case 4: An area with frequent floods has been built up without drainage planning.
Q4. Recommend immediate land-use measures to reduce flood risk in the future.
Implement setback zones near rivers, restore floodplains and wetlands for storage, upgrade drainage, restrict construction in high-risk zones, and promote permeable surfaces and green infrastructure.
Topic B — Soil: Erosion, Types and Conservation (4 Cases)
Case 5: Farmers on a slope report declining yields and see deep gullies forming after heavy rains.
Q5. What soil-conservation measures would you recommend for this hilly farmland?
Introduce terraces and contour ploughing, plant cover crops and deep-rooted trees to stabilise soil, build check dams to slow runoff, and adopt agroforestry to combine trees and crops.
Case 6: A region shows high salt content in soil after years of irrigation with poor drainage.
Q6. Explain the problem and practical steps to rehabilitate the land.
This is salinisation. Steps: improve drainage, leach salts with good quality water, switch to salt-tolerant crops temporarily, apply gypsum where appropriate, and restore organic matter through compost to improve structure.
Case 7: A community wants to increase crop yields but avoid chemical fertiliser overuse.
Q7. Suggest soil-friendly practices the community can adopt.
Promote organic manure and composting, crop rotation with legumes to fix nitrogen, balanced fertiliser use based on soil testing, integrated pest management and green manuring to maintain soil health.
Case 8: Windstorms in a dry plain blow away topsoil from uncultivated fields.
Q8. What short- and long-term measures reduce wind erosion?
Short-term: sow cover crops and erect windbreaks (hedges). Long-term: afforestation belts, improve soil organic matter, maintain surface residues and adopt conservation tillage to protect soil surface.
Topic C — Water: Scarcity, Pollution and Management (4 Cases)
Case 9: A town's groundwater levels have been falling for 10 years due to extensive tube-well irrigation.
Q9. What integrated actions can the town take to restore groundwater levels?
Adopt water-saving irrigation (drip), regulate well drilling, implement rainwater harvesting and recharge structures (percolation pits, check dams), promote crop patterns needing less water and monitor extraction with metering.
Case 10: A factory discharges untreated effluent into a river used for downstream irrigation and drinking.
Q10. Identify the immediate risks and outline a remediation plan.
Risks: contamination of drinking water, crop uptake of toxins, health hazards. Remediation: stop discharge, set up effluent treatment, regular monitoring, compensation and alternative water supply for affected users, and legal enforcement against polluters.
Case 11: Villagers notice their ponds drying earlier every year; monsoon patterns seem irregular.
Q11. How would you investigate causes and what community measures would you recommend?
Investigate rainfall records, upstream water use, catchment degradation and sedimentation. Recommend watershed conservation—afforestation, check dams, desilting ponds, protecting catchment areas, and community water-sharing agreements.
Case 12: A coastal city faces seawater intrusion into coastal aquifers due to over-pumping.
Q12. Explain the problem and practical mitigation measures.
Over-pumping lowers freshwater head, allowing seawater intrusion that salinises wells. Mitigation: reduce extraction, artificial recharge of aquifers, create freshwater barriers, better management of coastal recharge zones and regulate borewell drilling.
Topic D — Natural Vegetation: Forests, Mangroves and Agroforestry (4 Cases)
Case 13: A forest near a town is being cleared for a large plantation crop, displacing wildlife and small forest users.
Q13. What are the likely ecological and social consequences and what alternatives exist?
Consequences: habitat loss, reduced biodiversity, loss of NTFPs (non-timber forest products) and livelihoods. Alternatives: smaller-scale agroforestry, community forestry, mixed-species plantations, and setting aside conservation patches to maintain biodiversity.
Case 14: A riverine town's mangroves are being cut for fuel and shrimp farms.
Q14. Why is mangrove conservation essential and how can communities be involved?
Mangroves protect coasts, support fish nurseries and filter pollutants. Communities can be involved via mangrove restoration projects, alternative livelihoods (sustainable aquaculture), fuelwood substitution and co-management agreements with local authorities.
Case 15: Farmers report declining soil fertility despite heavy use of chemical fertilisers.
Q15. How can integrating trees into farms (agroforestry) help restore productivity?
Trees improve soil organic matter, reduce erosion, provide shade, add nutrients (via leaf litter or nitrogen-fixing species), diversify income and lower pressure on natural forests—supporting long-term productivity.
Case 16: A government plan encourages fast-growing exotic trees on degraded hills to quickly green the landscape.
Q16. Discuss ecological risks of planting exotic species and recommend better restoration approaches.
Exotics can become invasive, reduce native biodiversity, and alter soil and water regimes. Better approaches: use native species, mixed plantings, soil improvement, involve local communities and monitor ecological outcomes.
Topic E — Wildlife: Threats, Protected Areas and Community Actions (4 Cases)
Case 17: A protected area has seen increased human-wildlife conflict with elephants raiding crops on its boundary.
Q17. What short-term and long-term measures can reduce elephant conflict?
Short-term: create barriers (solar fencing), crop guarding, compensation schemes. Long-term: maintain corridors, restore habitat, community land-use planning, promote alternative livelihoods and landscape-level planning to reduce fragmentation.
Case 18: Poaching incidents of a big-cat are increasing due to market demand for body parts.
Q18. Outline an anti-poaching strategy combining enforcement and community incentives.
Strengthen patrols and intelligence, install camera traps, fast-track prosecution, and provide communities with alternatives (eco-tourism, jobs), reward reporting, and run awareness campaigns to reduce demand for unlawful products.
Case 19: A wetland near a town provides fish and waterbirds but is threatened by encroachment and pollution.
Q19. Propose a conservation plan that balances livelihoods and biodiversity protection.
Designate protected wetland zones, regulate pollution sources, promote sustainable fishing practices, involve local fishers in monitoring, create livelihood alternatives (eco-tourism, value-added fish products), and run restoration projects for vegetation.
Case 20: A regional development project plans a highway through a wildlife corridor connecting two forests.
Q20. What mitigation measures should be implemented to maintain connectivity and reduce wildlife mortality?
Include wildlife overpasses/underpasses, maintain vegetation cover across the corridor, limit speed and light pollution, schedule construction to avoid breeding seasons, and implement monitoring to assess effectiveness and adaptively manage the corridor.
These case-based questions are written to match NCERT themes — they promote analysis, application of concepts and examination readiness for CBSE Class 8 Geography Chapter 2.