Environmental management deals with the different aspects of environment, its structure, function, its quality and its maintenance including conservation of its living and non-living components. The diversified natural resources on this earth provide the necessities for survival of all forms of life, including man. Everything that comes from nature has some utility for man, but its utilization is possible based on the availability of appropriate technology.
Resources can be renewed simultaneously along with their exploitation (forests, crops, wildlife, groundwater, wind and solar energy). They can maintain themselves by natural recycling or can be replenished by proper management. Continuous increase in population caused an increased demand for resources. Therefore, conservation of natural resources makes important contributions to the social and economic development of the country.
Natural resources are conserved for their biological, economic and recreational values. The use of natural resources in excess and unplanned way leads to imbalance in the environment. A judicious balance should be maintained between exploitation of resources and its replenishment. Proper utilization and management of nature and its resources is termed as conservation. We have to build a sustainable world, which should last forever. Some ways to sustain continuous use of resources are practices to utilize energy efficiently, avoid wastage of water, avoid usage of plastics and other non-biodegradable materials and to take care for the environment we live. It is important that we manage and use our resources carefully to preserve for the future generations.
Forests are an important component of our environment and are dominated by microorganisms, flowering plants, shrubs, climbers, dense trees and provide a vast habitat for wild animals. Forests also contribute to the economic development of our country. Forests are vital for human life, it is a source for a wide range of renewable natural resource. They provide wood, food, fodder, fiber and medicine.
Forests are a major factor of environmental concern. They act as carbon sink, regulate climatic conditions, increase rainfall, reduce global warming, prevent natural hazards like flood and landslides, protect wildlife and also act as catchments for water conservation. They also play a vital role in maintaining the ecological balance.
Deforestation is the destruction of large area of forests. This happens for many reasons like intensive agriculture, urbanization, construction of dams, roads, buildings and industries, hydroelectric projects, forest fires, construction of mountain and forest roads. It is a threat to the economy, quality of life and future of the environment. India is losing about 1.5 million hectares of forest cover every year.
Deforestation gives rise to ecological problems like floods, drought, soil erosion, loss of wild life, extinction of species, imbalance of biogeochemical cycles, alteration of climatic conditions and desertification.
Wild life refers to the undomesticated animals living in their natural habitats (forests, grasslands and deserts) in an area without human habitation. They are needed for maintaining biological diversity. It also helps in promoting economic activities that generate revenue through tourism. Conservation of forest and wildlife is interrelated with each other.
The top layers of soil contain humus and mineral salts, which are vital for the growth of plants. Soil erosion is the removal of the upper layer of soil by wind and water. Soil erosion causes a significant loss of humus, nutrients and decrease the fertility of soil.
Energy is an important input for development. The expansion of possible energy resources has been directly related with the pace of agricultural and industrial development in every part of the world. Energy resources can be classified as non-renewable and renewable.
Fossil fuels are found inside the earth’s crust and are energy rich substances formed by natural process, such as anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms, over millions of years.
Coal and Petroleum are natural resources. They are called fossil fuels as they are formed from the degradation of biomass buried deep under the earth millions of years ago. Petroleum also known as crude oil is processed in oil refineries to produce petrol and diesel which are used to run automobiles, trucks, trains, ships and airplanes etc. The coal and petroleum reserves can get exhausted if we continue using them at a rapid rate. The formation of these fossil fuels is a very slow process and takes very long period of time for renewal.
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