Here is the notes for Class 8 NCERT Geography – Chapter 1: Resources

Resources

• • • Anything that has utility (usefulness) and can satisfy human needs.
    • Some resources have economic value, some do not.
    • For example, metals may have an economic value, a beautiful landscape may not. But both are important and satisfy human needs.

Types of Resources

• • • Resources are generally classified into natural, human made and human

Natural Resources

• • • Resources that are drawn from Nature and used without much modification are called natural resources.
    • Example: Air, water, soils, minerals etc
    • Natural resources are classified into different groups depending upon their level of development and use; origin; stock and distribution.

On the basis of their development and use resources can be classified into two groups, actual resources and potential resource

1. Actual Resources
   • Actual resources are those resources whose quantity is known.
   • These resources are being used in the present.
   •  example: rich deposits of coal in Ruhr region of Germany and petroleum in the West Asia, the dark soils of the Deccan plateau in Maharashtra are all actual resources.
2. Potential Resources
   • Potential resources are those whose entire quantity may not be known and these are not being used at Present.
   • These resources could be used in the future.
   • The level of technology we have at present may not be advanced enough to easily utilise these resources.
   • Example: Wind energy, Solar energy

Based on their origin, resources can be abiotic or biotic.

• • 1. Abiotic
       • Abiotic resources are non-living
       • Example: Soils, rocks, minerals etc
    2. Biotic
       • biotic resources are living
       • Example: Plants and animals

Natural resources can be broadly categorised into

• • 1. Renewable
       • Renewable resources are those which get renewed or replenished quickly.
       • Some of these are unlimited and are not affected by human activities
       • Example: wind and solar energy
    2. Non- Renewable
       • Non-renewable resources are those which have a limited stock.
       • Once the stocks are exhausted it may take thousands of years to be renewed or replenished.
       • Example: Coal, Petroleum, Natural gas etc

On the basis of their distribution resources can be

• • 1. Ubiquitous
       • Resources that are found everywhere like the air we breathe, are ubiquitous.
    2. Localised
       • those which are found only in certain places are localised, like copper and iron ore.

Human Made Resources

• • • Sometimes, natural substances become resources only when their original form has been changed.
    • People use natural resources to make buildings, bridges, roads, machinery and vehicles.
    • Technology is also a human made resource.

Human Resources

• • • People can make the best use of nature to create more resources when they have the knowledge, skill and the technology to do so.
    • People are human resources.
    • Education and health help in making people a valuable resource.
    • Improving the quality of people’s skills so that they are able to create more resources is known as human resource development.

Conserving Resources

• • Using resources carefully and giving them time to get renewed is called resource conservation.
  • Balancing the need to use resources and also conserve them for the future is called sustainable development.
  • The future of our planet and its people is linked with our ability to maintain and preserve the life support system that nature provides.
  • Therefore it is our duty to ensure that
    • all uses of renewable resources are sustainable
    • the diversity of life on the earth is conserved
    • the damage to natural environmental system is minimised