Meaning

A resource is anything—natural or human-made—that can be used to satisfy human needs and support human activities.

Key Features

• Utility: It must be useful for some purpose.
• Accessibility: It should be accessible and available for use.
• Quantity & Quality: Sufficient quantity and appropriate quality are required.
• Economic Viability: It should be economically feasible to use or develop.
• Technology & Knowledge: Often dependent on technology and knowledge to convert into usable form.

Together these features determine whether something will be considered and managed as a resource.

Natural Resources

Provided by nature—such as water, minerals, forests and soil. Example: rivers providing water for irrigation.

Human Resources

People and their skills, knowledge and labour. Example: a trained teacher or technician.

Capital Resources

Man-made tools, machines and infrastructure used in production. Example: tractors, factories, roads.

Interdependence

All three types work together: human skills operate capital goods to use natural resources efficiently.

Definition

Resource development is the process of finding, classifying, planning, and using resources to meet human needs sustainably.

Stages

• Exploration: Identifying and surveying potential resources.
• Planning: Assessing feasibility, environmental impacts and socio-economic benefits.
• Development: Extracting or producing resources using appropriate technology.
• Distribution: Transporting and making resources available to users.
• Conservation & Management: Ensuring sustainable use and restoration where needed.

Effective resource development balances economic goals with environmental protection and social welfare.

Role of Technology

Technology can change a potential resource into a developed resource by making it accessible and usable.

Examples

• Advanced drilling converts previously inaccessible oil reserves into usable resources.
• Irrigation technology (drip irrigation) makes water use more efficient for agriculture.
• Biotechnology enhances crop yields and makes biological resources more productive.

Thus, technology affects the availability, efficiency and sustainability of resource use.

Local Institutions

• Village councils or local bodies manage common resources like grazing land and water bodies.
• Community groups can implement rules for fair use and restoration.

National Institutions

• Govt. agencies create laws, policies and frameworks (e.g., forest protection, mining regulations).
• Research institutions provide data, technology and guidelines for sustainable development.

Cooperation among institutions ensures resources are used responsibly and benefits are equitably shared.

Need for Sustainable Management

To ensure that resources remain available for future generations and to maintain ecological balance.

Consequences of Unsustainable Use

• Resource depletion (e.g., groundwater lowering, exhausted mines).
• Environmental degradation (soil erosion, loss of biodiversity, pollution).
• Social and economic problems (conflicts over scarce resources, loss of livelihoods).

Sustainable management combines conservation, efficient use and restoration measures to avoid these outcomes.

Exhaustible vs. Inexhaustible

• Exhaustible (Non-renewable): Resources that take geological time to form, e.g., coal, petroleum, metallic minerals.
• Inexhaustible (Renewable): Resources that renew naturally at a rate useful to humans, e.g., solar energy, wind energy.

Understanding exhaustibility helps in planning long-term resource use and conservation strategies.

Biotic Resources

Derived from living organisms—forests, animals, fisheries. They support food, raw materials and ecological functions.

Abiotic Resources

Non-living elements—minerals, water, air. They are essential for industry, agriculture and daily life.

Both types are crucial: biotic resources maintain ecological cycles and abiotic resources provide structural and energy inputs.

Ownership Categories

• Individual/Private: Owned by individuals e.g., private farmlands.
• Community: Shared by a group, e.g., village ponds, common grazing lands.
• National: Owned and managed by the state, e.g., national parks.
• International: Shared across countries, e.g., the high seas, atmosphere.

Ownership determines rights and responsibilities; it affects access, management and conservation policies.

Developed Resources

Resources that are surveyed and exploited using available technology. Example: a working coal mine.

Underdeveloped Resources

Resources known to exist but not fully used owing to lack of infrastructure or investment. Example: untapped small mineral deposits.

Potential Resources

Resources that may be useful but are not yet utilised due to lack of knowledge or technology. Example: deep-sea minerals.

Importance

• Support daily needs (water, fuel, fodder).
• Provide livelihoods (small-scale farming, fishing, handicrafts).
• Reduce dependence on distant resources, lowering transport costs.

Examples

Local wells, ponds for irrigation, community forests for fuelwood and fodder, clay for brick-making.

How Classification Helps

• Identifies which resources are scarce and need protection.
• Guides investment and technological development (where to apply research and funds).
• Helps frame laws and policies (e.g., conservation areas, extraction limits).

Thus, classification is a practical tool for prioritising actions for sustainable development.

Availability

Renewable resources regenerate naturally; non-renewable are finite and form slowly.

Usage

Renewables can be used repeatedly if managed; non-renewables require careful allocation and substitution.

Management Strategies

• Renewables: sustainable harvesting, restoration and protection.
• Non-renewables: efficient use, recycling where possible and exploring alternatives.

Key Problems

• Land degradation and habitat loss from mining.
• Air and water pollution from fossil fuel combustion and processing.
• Greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change.
• Long-term contamination of soil and water through toxic waste.

Mitigation requires stricter regulations, cleaner technologies and transition to renewable alternatives.

Policy Measures

• Subsidies for solar panels and wind turbines.
• Feed-in tariffs and incentives for small producers.
• Investment in R&D for storage and grid integration.

Community Actions

• Installing rooftop solar in schools and community centers.
• Local campaigns to adopt solar water heaters and energy-efficient appliances.

Role of Recycling

Recycling reduces the need to extract fresh raw materials, conserving finite resources and saving energy.

Examples

• Recycling aluminium saves large amounts of energy compared to producing it from bauxite.
• Paper recycling reduces deforestation and the pressure on wood resources.

Sustainable Forestry Practices

• Selective logging to reduce damage to ecosystems.
• Controlled felling and planned rotation to allow regrowth.
• Community forestry that involves local stakeholders in management.
• Replanting and afforestation to increase forest cover.

These practices maintain ecological functions while providing timber and non-timber products.

Causes

• Excessive extraction for irrigation and industry.
• Reduced recharge due to urbanisation and loss of vegetation.

Effects

• Lowering of water tables, drying up of wells.
• Land subsidence and reduced water availability for ecosystems.

Preventive Measures

• Rainwater harvesting, recharge wells and efficient irrigation methods.
• Regulating groundwater extraction and promoting water-saving crops.

Definition

Integrated Resource Management (IRM) coordinates the planning and use of resources across sectors to ensure long-term sustainability.

Principles

• Holistic approach: Consider ecological, social and economic factors together.
• Stakeholder participation: Involve communities, governments and industry.
• Adaptive management: Use monitoring and feedback to adjust policies.

Advantages

• Reduces conflicts between resource users.
• Improves efficiency and resilience of systems.
• Promotes equitable distribution and conservation.

School-level Measures

• Install rainwater harvesting systems and maintain school gardens.
• Practice waste segregation and set up recycling drives.
• Conduct awareness programmes, tree-planting and energy-saving competitions.
• Use energy-efficient lighting and encourage reduced water use.

Schools can be role models and educate students to become responsible resource users.

Definition

Carrying capacity is the maximum population or level of activity an environment can sustain without undergoing degradation.

Significance

• Helps planners set limits on resource extraction and land use.
• Informs sustainable development goals and urban planning.
• Prevents overuse that leads to irreversible damage.

Watershed Management

Watershed management involves conserving water and soil across a catchment area through measures like contour bunding, check dams and afforestation.

Benefits

• Improves groundwater recharge and reduces erosion.
• Enhances agricultural productivity and water availability.
• Supports biodiversity and reduces flood risks downstream.

Technological Tools

• Remote sensing and GIS to map resources and detect changes.
• Sensor networks to monitor water levels, air quality and soil moisture.
• Data analytics and modelling to forecast resource trends and plan interventions.

Technology enables timely decisions, reduces wastage and improves precision in resource management.

Advantages

• Local knowledge helps adapt practices to specific contexts.
• Shared responsibilities increase compliance and stewardship.
• Equitable local benefits strengthen support for conservation.

Challenges

• Potential for unequal access and local power imbalances.
• Insufficient funding or technical expertise at community level.
• Need for legal recognition and support from higher institutions.

Definition

Sustainable development meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.

Three Pillars

• Economic: Efficient resource use supports long-term economic growth (e.g., renewable energy reduces fuel imports).
• Social: Equitable resource distribution improves health, education and livelihoods.
• Environmental: Conservation maintains ecosystem services and biodiversity.

Resource management aligns these pillars by promoting efficiency, equity and conservation.

Impacts of Urbanisation

• Increased demand for water, energy and land.
• Higher waste generation and pollution.
• Reduction in green spaces and groundwater recharge areas.

Sustainable Urban Practices

• Compact city planning and mixed land use to reduce travel.
• Green infrastructure (parks, permeable pavements) and rooftop rainwater harvesting.
• Efficient public transport and waste recycling systems.

Policy Measures

• Enactment and enforcement of environmental laws (pollution control, mining regulations).
• Economic instruments like taxes, subsidies and tradable permits to encourage conservation.
• Investment in research, renewable technologies and public awareness campaigns.
• Land-use planning and protected areas to conserve biodiversity and resources.

Policies must be backed by monitoring and stakeholder participation for effectiveness.

Role of Cooperation

Many resources and environmental issues cross national borders; cooperation ensures coordinated action and information sharing.

Examples

• International agreements on climate change (e.g., Paris Agreement) to reduce greenhouse gases.
• Shared river basin treaties that govern water sharing between countries.
• Global conventions on biodiversity to protect endangered species and habitats.

Role of Education

Education creates informed citizens who adopt sustainable practices and support conservation policies.

Examples of Initiatives

• School environmental clubs promoting tree planting and waste segregation.
• Community workshops on water-saving techniques and organic farming.
• Mass media campaigns encouraging energy conservation and recycling.

Education empowers behavioural changes and builds local capacity for long-term stewardship.

Ten-year Action Plan (Summary)

1. Year 1–2: Conduct resource assessment (water, soil, forests), form a village resource committee and launch awareness campaigns.
2. Year 3–4: Implement rainwater harvesting, rebuild check dams and start community nurseries for native trees.
3. Year 5–6: Introduce sustainable farming (organic methods, crop rotation) and efficient irrigation (drip systems).
4. Year 7–8: Create livelihood opportunities based on non-timber forest products and small-scale eco-tourism.
5. Year 9–10: Monitor outcomes, scale successful practices, ensure legal protection for restored areas, and plan for next decade.

Key Elements: Community participation, technical support, funding mechanisms (grants/credit), and continual monitoring are essential for success.