Experts have designed these Class 8 SST Notes Chapter 1 Natural Resources and Their Use Class 8 Notes for effective learning.
Class 8 Natural Resources and Their Use Notes
Class 8 SST Chapter 1 Natural Resources and Their Use Notes
Class 8 SST Chapter 1 Notes – Natural Resources and Their Use Notes Class 8
→ ‘Nature’ includes all life and non-life forms in the environment not made by humans.
→ Elements of nature become ‘resources’ only when humans use them for their needs.
→ For something to be called a resource, it should be accessible, affordable, and culturally acceptable, n Examples of natural resources are water, air, soil, coal, petroleum, metals, and timber.
→ Categorizing resources helps us understand and talk about them more easily.
→ Natural resources are often categorized based on their use: essentials for survival, materials, and energy sources. a Energy resources include coal, petroleum, wind, sunlight, and water.
→ Natural resources can also be classified as renewable or non-renewable.
→ Nature works in cycles to restore and regenerate itself after damage.
→ Regeneration not only heals but also creates new life and better conditions.
→ In nature, there is no waste: everything is reused in cycles.
→ Solar, wind, water, and timber (if managed well) are examples of renewable resources,
→ Resources remain renewable only if they’re used at or below their natural renewal rate,
→ Traditional practices like not fishing during certain seasons protect resource availability.
→ Over-fishing and commercialization can destroy species and ecosystems.
→ Industrial waste, when dumped untreated, pollutes water and harms restoration cycles,
→ Human intervention can help restore disturbed cycles of nature.
→ Oxygen production, water filtration, and soil retention are natural functions of ecosystems,
→ Coal, petroleum, and minerals are non-renewable resources because they form very slowly,
→ Society should transition from non-renewable to more sustainable energy sources,
→ Resources like water, forests, and minerals are spread unevenly around the earth,
→ Uneven resource distribution affects where people live, trade routes, and international relations,
→ Extracting resources can also lead to displacement of people and the destruction of sacred or cultural sites,
→ Distribution of resources shapes patterns of trade at national and global levels,
→ Natural resource boundaries don’t follow human-made political borders, causing disputes,
→ Sometimes, having many resources (a “resource curse”) doesn’t make a country rich,
→ True economic development depends on industry, technology, and skilled labour, not just resources,
→ India has tried to avoid the resource curse by developing local industry,
→ India and France launched the International Alliance for Solar Energy (IASE) in 2015.
→ Using resources sustainably means not using them up faster than they can be renewed,
→ Moving toward a regenerative economy is important for future health and prosperity,
→ Many cultures see nature as sacred, which can influence how resources are used,
→ In 2016 Sikkim became a 100 per cent organic state.
→ Some cultural beliefs protect natural areas, like sacred groves where trees can’t be cut.
→ Vrikshayurveda is an ancient Indian botanical science that focuses on the study and care of plants and trees,
→ Humans are responsible for using resources wisely to protect both current and future generations.
→ Natural Resource : Any material or substance from nature that is useful to humans.
→ Regenerative Economy : An economic system that restores and replenishes natural resources, operating in harmony with nature.
→ Renewable Resource : Resources that can naturally restore/regenerate over time (e.g., solar energy, timber—if used responsibly).
→ Non-renewable Resource : Resources that form extremely slowly, making their replenishment impossible within a human lifespan (e.g., coal, minerals).
→ Restoration : Process where something degraded is retumed4o its original healthy state.
→ Regeneration : Nature’s ability to not only restore but also create new life and conditions for flourishing.
→ Ecosystem : A community of interacting living and non-living things in a particular environment.
→ Resource Curse/Paradox of Plenty : The phenomenon where countries with abundant natural resources may still have less economic growth compared to those with fewer resources.
→ Sacred Groves : Areas protected due to religious or cultural beliefs, where resource exploitation is restricted.
→ Sustainable Use : Using resources at a rate that allows them to regenerate and be available for future generations.
→ Fossil Fuels : Fuels formed over millions of years from the remains of living organisms (coal, petroleum, natural gas).
→ Trade Patterns : The flow and exchange of goods and resources based on availability and demand.
→ Arghyam : An offering (usually of water) as a mark of respect or gratitude, mentioned in traditional Indian practices.
→ Indigenous Practices : Traditional knowledge and methods used by native communities to manage and sustain resources.
→ Natural Resource : Any material or substance from nature that is useful to humans,
→ Regenerative Economy : An economic system that restores and replenishes natural resources, operating in harmony with nature.
Natural Resources and Their Use Class 8 Notes
This chapter deals with natural resources and how to manage these resources responsibly. Natural resources, such as air, water and forests, are gifts from nature that we utilise to sustain life and growth.
Understanding Nature as a Resource
- Nature becomes a resource when people use these natural things for their needs, or make something new from them.
- The word ‘Nature’ means all living and non-living things that are part of our environment but are not made by humans. For example, trees grow naturally in the environment and are not created by humans. But when we cut the trees and make furniture from the wood, the trees become a resource.
- Sometimes natural things cannot be used because they are hard to reach, too costly to extract, or not allowed by cultural beliefs.
- For an entity to be’ called a resource, it must be
- Usable with available technology
- Affordable to extract
- Acceptable to society
- The Earth has many treasures that were formed over millions of years. Humans have learned to take and use them. Some examples includes the most obvious are water, air, soil, and others like coal, petroleum, precious stones, metal ores, timber, etc., are not so obvious.
Categories of Natural Resources
Natural resources are categorised into three categories based on their uses, for example
Resources Essential for Life
- Life on Earth depends on air, water and food, which are essential resources.
- We get air from the atmosphere, water from rivers and ponds and food from soil cultivation or other living things.
- Humans cannot create the air we breathe, the water we drink, or the soil that produces our food.
Resources for Materials
- Humans use natural resources to create useful objects or beautiful items that enhance our lives.
- A piece of wood can be made into a chair or carved into a statue.
- India’s diverse geography provides a wide range of resources, including wood, marble, coal and gold.
Resources for Energy
- Energy is essential for modern life, powering buildings, transportation, and production processes.
- It comes from various natural sources, including coal, water, petroleum, natural gas, sunlight and wind.
Natural Resources
- Natural resources are classified into renewable and non-renewable resources. This division is based on whether the resource can be naturally renewed or not.
- Nature can restore and regenerate. Restoration means bringing something back to its original, healthy state.
- Regeneration means creating new life and conditions where life can grow and thrive again.
- For example, when a forest catches fire, over time, Nature heals itself. New plants begin to grow, and the forest slowly grows back.
- Similarly, if people cut down trees in an area, people can restore the ecosystem by planting the same types of trees again.
- These trees bring back birds, insects, and animals that once lived there. This helps regenerate life in that place.
- Nature also works in cycles, where nothing is wasted.
For example,
- A tree falls down.
- It slowly decomposes with the help of fungi, insects and bacteria.
- It becomes part of the soil, making it rich.
- New plants grow from this soil, and the cycle continues.
- Renewable and Non-Renewable Resources
Renewable Resources
Renewable resources naturally restore over time.
- Solar, wind, water energy, and timber are renewable resources as long as managed sustainably.
- To remain renewable, the natural rhythm of restoration and regeneration must not be disturbed.
- Natural cycle has been disturbed by several factors such as overharvesting of timber, deforestation and fossil fuel, which have led to rising temperature and rapid glacier melting in the Himalayas, which threatens water security in the plains that depend on this water tower.
Non-Renewable Resources
- Non-renewable resources take millions of years to form and cannot be replaced quickly.
- Fossil fuels like coal and petroleum, and metals like iron, copper, and gold, are examples.
Distribution of Natural Resources
- Natural resources are unevenly distributed across the world and even within countries. Their availability
- depends on geological, climatic and geographical factors.
With human skill, resources can be transformed into unique products, such as Wootz steel.
Implications of Resoufc Distributions
- The uneven distribution of resources impact human settlements, trade patterns, international relations and conflicts.
- Industries located near resource-rich areas create employment opportunities and help towns grow with better facilities.
- Sharing of resources across political boundaries can create tensions; for example, the Kaveri river water-sharing dispute among Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry required careful negotiation to ensure peace and fairness.
The Natural Resource Curse
- Having abundant natural resources does not always bring economic prosperity. This situation, known as the ‘natural resource curse’ or ‘paradox of plenty’. It happens when countries with many resources fail to develop the industries needed to turn them into high-value products.
- India has mostly avoided this problem by building industries that use natural resources to meet the country’s growing needs.
- Balancing resource extraction with sustainability is a major challenge.
Proper use of human knowledge, good governance, and planning decides if natural resources become long-term benefits or just short-term gains.
Restoration and Regeneration of Renewable Resources
Over-extraction of Groundwater
- In many parts of the country, farmers extract groundwater for irrigation at rates higher than the natural rate of replenishment.
- This growing imbalance leads to increased costs of extraction and eventually, to water scarcity.
- Predictions suggest that several expanding cities may soon face a complete depletion of groundwater.
- To address this, various initiatives have been undertaken-such as raising groundwater levels through traditional water harvesting methods, rejuvenating ponds and tanks, reducing water wastage, and promoting the processing and reuse of water.
Soil Degradation due to Chemical Use
- The excessive and improper use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides has resulted in the degradation of soil quality.
- Techniques like the use of cow dung, natural fertilisers, mulching and multi-cropping helps take care of the soil in a natural and healthy way.
- Learning from these sustainable methods and adapting them to present-day conditions is essential to prevent further degradation. Replenishing and rejuvenating the soil must become a priority.
Vrikshayurveda: Ancient Indian Science of Plant Care.
- Vrikshayurveda is an ancient Indian botanical science about caring for plants and trees.
- The word comes from Sanskrit, where vriksha means tree and ayurveda means the science of life.
- It was written down in texts like Surapala’s Vrikshayurveda in the 10th century CE.
- It gives detailed advice on growing specific plants in different soils. It explains how to collect and store seeds, prepare them before planting, and use irrigation methods based on plants, seasons, and growth stages.
- It suggests natural ways to control pests and growing certain plants together.
- It promotes crop rotation and mixed cropping to keep the soil healthy.
- It also advises on ploughing methods to keep soil moist and support helpful organisms like fungi, bacteria, and earthworms.
Responsible and Judiclous use of Resources
- Non-renewable resources must be used responsibly to ensure they last long enough for more sustainable alternatives.
- For example, a shift to renewable energy sources should be made wherever possible.
The International Solar Alliance- India’s Leadership in Renewable Energy
- India and France started the International Alliance for Solar Energy (IASE) in 2015 to promote solar power in sunny countries. India has supported solar projects in developing nations by sharing technology and making funds affordable.
- The Bhadla Solar Park shows India’s move from traditional energy to renewable energy. This alliance gives India both environmental benefits and economic opportunities.