Congenial and favourable environment is a must for flourishment of life. In other words, we can say that life and environment are inseparable from each other and they are very closely related. Physical environment and all types life in a given area form ecosystem. Plants and animals interact with their environment. Human beings differ from all other species of animals as they can born from the environment and can cause changes in it to their advantages. They utilise numerous elements of the environment for their comfort and betterment. These elements are gifts of nature obtained free of cost. Man cannot produce them.
Definition and classification
Resources are those gifts of nature which have value for human kind. They have been developed technologically with the help of good transport and have low cost of utilisation.
In broader terms resources can be classified into two major classes:
Natural Resources
Human Resources
Natural Resources
Natural resources are those gifts which are directly obtained from nature. These resources are further classified as under:
Exhaustible, inexhaustible and cyclic resources
Exhaustible resources are those resources which are used only once and after that they cannot be reproduced, replenished or renewed. These resources include all the non-living elements of the earth.
Examples : Minerals of all types including energy minerals, coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, bauxite, uranium, thorium, tin, copper, gold, mica, manganese etc.
Inexhaustible resources include those resources which are used again and again. They are reproduced, replenished and renewed.
Examples : All non-conventional sources of energy like solar energy, water resources, geothermal energy, wind energy, tidal energy, soil, forests and wild life resources.
Metallic minerals, forest and water are also called cyclic resources as they are used again and again by changing their physical state.
Biotic and abiotic Resources
All living elements of the environment are included in the biotic resources. They go on reproducing or regenerating till favourable conditions are available in the environment.
Examples : Agricultural crops, grass, fodder, wild and domestic animals, fish, other marine products, forests and man himself.
Abiotic resources comprise of all non-living elements of environment. They are of both types—exhaustible and inexhaustible.
Raw Material and energy resources
Raw material resources are those natural resources which are used in industries to produce more valuable or finished or refined goods after processing them by hands or by machines.
Examples: Forest products, minerals, food grains, fibre crops, beverages, oil seeds cash crops. Animal products like hair, skin, hides horns, bones. Iron and Steel, chemicals, petrochemicals, perfumes and machines. Industrials resources include raw material and energy resources.
Agricultural and Pastoral resources
Agricultural resources comprise of those resources which we obtain from agriculture. They fulfil our needs of food, clothing and shelter. Examples : Food products, agro-based industrial raw materials etc.
On the other hands pastoral resources are related to animal grazing domesticating and rearing. Animals provide several industrial raw materials and animal products which serve the purpose of food, clothing and shelter to man.
Examples : Meat, milk, water, cheese, fir, hides, wool, horns, bones, fodder, grass etc.
Mineral and industrial resources
Mineral and industrial resources are the most important classification of natural resources. As their name suggests this group includes mineral resources and industrial resources.
Mineral resources are those resources which are obtained from the earth through mining operations. They are used in industries as raw materials for manufacturing more refined, valuable and finished products.
Examples : (i) Metallic minerals—Iron ore, bauxite, tin, copper, gold, silver etc.
(ii) Non-Metallic minerals—Thorium, uranium, salt, radium, chromium, magnesite, dolomite.
Industrial resources are those materials which act as industrial raw materials. They are obtained from both nature and human beings.
Examples : Minerals, forest products iron a steel, agricultural and animal products.
Marine and Terrestrial resources
Marine resources include those resources which are born in the oceans, seas and lakes and are used by human beings for their living.
Examples : All types of fish, whale, marine flora and fauna.
Terrestrial resources are obtained from land.
Examples : Soils, forest products, mineral and power resources.
Developed and potential resources
Developed resources are those resources which are available in the country and human beings have been using them for a long time.
Examples : Agricultural and industrial resources.
Potential resources are those resources which are available in the country but they have not yet been developed so far an man is unable to use them.
Examples: Only 40% of the hydro electric resources in India are developed whereas 60% of these resources has not yet been available for use though they are available in the country. Hence these 60% hydel power resources are potential.
Human resources
Besides natural resources, human resources are very important resources of a nation. It is not the number but the quality of the people that constitute the human resources . If the number is huge but they do not possess skills and are illiterate, they cannot contribute to the development of natural resources of the nation. In the context it is essential that human resources must be developed. For the development of human resources the following skills are required:
Education.
Skills in the development of mechanical power.
Skills in the machines of agriculture, mineral and other resources.
Other skill.
The development of a nation depends largely on the development of its human resources. Africa had large natural resources but they remained untapped as human resources of this vast continent had skills but they lacked appropriate developed technology. The nations like America, Germany, Japan, Russia etc. are called developed nation because they have developed their natural resources after the development of the skills and technical knowhow of their people. Their developed natural resources do not only satisfy their local domestic demands but also earn large foreign exchange through exports.
India has vast human resources but still they have not developed to that extent of the developed nations. But she has been trying hard for the development of her human resources and consequently they are developing their natural resources.
Need for resources planning
For the development of natural resources of a nation, it is essential that its human resources must be developed, only then we can put the nation in the list of developed nations. For this we have to keep a balance between the development of human resources and the development of natural resources. This requires proper planning.
In our planning we have to make arrangements for education, health, development of skill and technological advancement of our people. It has been observed that distribution of natural resources and distribution human resources among the world nations is uneven. Likewise there is uneven distribution of natural resources and human resources in our country. It has resulted in the disparity between the levels of development of different regions. We have to plan in such a way that people of the country are educated, skilled and technologically advanced. Only then we would be able to develop our natural resources. We shall then be able to satisfy our local demands and our exports would also increase.
The present state of our country is that we have a large developed human resources and they have been able to a large extent, to develop our natural resources. It is because of this that we have become self reliant in numerous resources and even exporting numerous commodities to the world nations. Our skilled manpower is revered all over the world. Thousands of engineers, doctors and other technocrats have excelled even in the developed nations. We boast of the Silicon Valley of America which is dominated by our computer engineers. Our skilled manpower is in great demand all over the world. We are proud of our people. In near future we shall be able to be counted among the developed nations of the world despite numerous odds.
Shopping Cart