Management of Forest Resources
* Forest resources include the land, trees and different life forms including bacteria, fungi, ferns, flowering plants, nematodes, insects, birds, reptiles and large animals.
* Forests are biodiversity hotspots – together, all the species of plants and animals help maintain the ecological stability of the forests.
* We depend on the resources offered by our forests in many ways.
* Preserving our forests and not using resources indiscriminately is critical in order to avoid disturbing the delicate ecological balance, depleting limited resources and polluting the environment.
* Sustainable development and management of resources involves using available resources in a manner that also preserves these resources for future generations.
* Sustainable management means thinking about how much we’re giving back, how we’re extracting the resources, and who is benefiting from the use of these resources.
* Several stakeholders are together responsible for managing our resources. These include the government, industrialists, local forest dwellers, wildlife and natural enthusiasts, as well as all of us.
Management of Water and Coal Resources
* Water is a renewable resource. However, only a small fraction of the total available water on earth is usable for human requirements.
* The negative impact of human activities such as deforestation and pollution is further reducing the amount of available water.
* Since water is so scarce and so valuable, it is very important to develop sustainable and environment friendly ways to manage water resource.
* Dams are a popular method of managing resources. They provide benefits like availability of hydroelectric power and water to large area. However, they also lead to several social, economic and environmental problems.
* There are several local methods of water resource management that are economic and environment friendly. It is important to recognise the value of these methods.
* Coal and petroleum are two other important natural resources. These are non renewable sources of energy. They are scarce resources and it is important to use them judiciously.
* Careless and indiscriminate use of coal and petroleum resources also leads to severe negative impact on the environment and increases global warming.
* Every individual has a responsibility towards conserving natural resources. These are several steps you can take to reduce the amount of energy you use in your day to day life.
