RENEWABLE AND NON-

RENEWABLE RESOURCES
WHAT IS A NATURAL RESOURCE
?
 Any material which is part of earth and satisfy
human need and add value is called as
resource.
 Human is a resource because developing his
skill, he can develop other resource by adding
value to the physical material .
Examples include:
 Mineral
 Energy Sources
 Forest
 Fish and Wildlife
 Water
 Soil
 Exhaustible Resources
 Exhaustible Resources:
natural resources that
cannot be replaced or
reproduced.
I.e. oil, mineral
resources, and soil
 NON-EXHAUSTIBLE RESOURCES

 Non-exhaustible: natural
resources that can last
forever regardless of
human activity.
They renew themselves
continuously.
– I.e. surface water
and air
Renewable Resources
 Renewable Resources:
natural resources that can
be replaced by human
efforts.
i.e. forest, fish and
wildlife
Classification of Natural Resources
Based on Origin:
1. Biotic Resources
Resources obtained from the biosphere
Examples: Animals, Birds, Fish
Coal and petroleum are also considered biotic resources because they
were formed from decayed organic matter

2. Abiotic Resources
Comprise of non-living things
Examples: land, water, air, gold, iron, copper, silver
Classification of Natural Resources
Based on Stage of Development
1. Potential Resources
Resources which exist in a region and may be used in the
future.
Example: Mineral oil that exist in many parts of India is
considered potential resources until it is drilled out and put into
use.
2. Actual Resources
Resources which have been surveyed, their quantity and quality
determined and are being used in present times.
Examples: The petroleum and the natural gas which is obtained
from the Bombay High Fields.
Classification of Natural Resources
Based on Renewability
1. Renewable Resources
Resources which can be replenished or reproduced easily
Examples: sunlight, air, wind (continuously available and not
affected by human consumption)

2. Non-renewable Resources
Resources formed over very long geological periods.
These cannot be replenished once they get depleted.
Only metallic minerals can be re-used by recycling.
Others cannot be recycled.
Examples: Minerals, fossils, coals and petroleum
FOREST RESOURCES
 What is a forest ?
 A forest is a community of trees, shrubs, herbs,
and associated plants and organisms that cover
a considerable area that use oxygen, water and
soil nutrients as the community attains maturity
and reproduces itself.
TYPES OF FORESTS
 Tropical: lush, dense forests found near the equator. They are
vital storehouses of the planet's biodiversity.

Sub-tropical: consists of trees that can resist the summer

drought.They are found to the north and south of the tropical
forests.

Mediterranean: located to the south of the temperate regions and

made up primarily of evergreen trees.
 Temperate: mix of coniferous evergreen and
deciduous trees found in North America,
northeastern Asia and Europe.

Coniferous: These forests are found around the

poles in cold, windy regions and contain both
conifers and hardwoods.

Montane: also known as cloud forests. Contain

mainly conifers and are found in high-elevation
tropical, sub-tropical and temperate zones
Healthy forests provide quality
habitat for wildlife
flying squirrel box turtle

screech owl

spotted turtle spotted salamander

FOREST RESOURCES
 Forests – most valued resources.
 Forests are under threat due to :
- increasing pressure from population growth
- unsustainable resource use
- poor management
- clearance for cash crop production and urban
expansion
Forestry Provides…

Wood Products
Habitat for Wildlife
Filtration System for Air and Water
Reduced Soil Erosion
Preserves soil fertility
Recreation
Revenue
 Raw materials to Industry
 Food, fodder, fuel, fertilizer and fiber.
 Provides moisture and lowers the temperature.
 Preserves biodiversity.
 Maintains ecological balance
Ecological Importance of Forests
 Food web and energy flow
 Water regulation
 Local and regional climate
 Numerous habitats and niches
 Air purification
Economic Importance of Forests
 Fuelwood (50% of global forest use)
 Industrial timber and lumber
 Pulp and paper
 Medicines
 Minerals extraction and recreation
ROLE OF A FOREST
 Protect watershed
 Production of timber
 Provision of wildlife habitat and recreation
 Regulation of stream flow
 Control of erosion
 General aesthetic
importance

 Influence on Climate:
The crowns of the trees hold the moisture in
because the force of the wind is broken so it
makes the forest cool in the summer and warm in
the winter.
 Control of Runoff
- Leaves and branches of trees break the
impact of rain, causing it to drip rather than a
strong force. Rain is absorbed by ground litter,
reducing surface runoff.
 Retention of Snow Melt
- Forest soil is likely to freeze less deeply, it
absorbs more water from the melting snow. By
delaying the melting snow, forests prolong the
period of runoff.
 Environment for Fish
-Forest vegetation that shades water courses
from the full heat of the sun contributes toward
the prevention of excessive stream
temperatures.
 Flood prevention and water flow
-Forested watersheds where management is
carefully practiced, extremes of water flow in
winter and summer are avoided, thus aiding in
flood control.
 Wildlife Habitat
-Wildlife uses the trees and forest as food and
shelter.
 Prevention of Soil Erosion
-Water that moves through forested soils, does
more slowly and stays free of sediments.
 Reduction of Wind Erosion
-Trees are used as windbreaks and slows down
the force of wind.
 Habitat for Songbirds
-Forest and rural areas are habitats for
songbirds. If forest are taken away, the
population of songbirds will reduce.
 Removal of Gas Pollutants
-Sulfur Dioxide is used for metabolism for trees.
The roots will absorb soil and water pollutants
through the roots, aiding in the cleansing of soil
and water.
 Removal of Particulates
-Trees catch particles that are in the air. The
leaves usually hold onto the particles until the
particles are washed to the ground by a rain.
 Noise Abatement
-Trees act as a sound barrier.
 Temperature difference in city areas
-Trees block the heat from the sun. The heat
absorbed in the transpiration process also cools
the air in the immediate vicinity of the cities.
 Greenbelts as Moisture Storage Zones
-Water is diverted from trees into storage
zones. Trees also pump water from the soil,
allowing for additional storage.
 Barriers to Reduce Glare and Reflection
-Trees are being utilized effectively as barriers
against excessive glare and against reflection
from high-albedo surfaces, such as concrete
and glass.
FOREST STRUCTURE
TROPICAL RAINFORESTS

Tropical rainforests are located close to the Equator

between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of
Capricorn. This means that it is always hot – between
70 and 85o F.
Rainforests are forests where more than 100 inches of rain fall
each year so they are always green and full of life. More than
half of the world’s plant and animal species live in rainforest
DEFORESTATION AND EXPLOITATION

OF FOREST RESOURCES
DEFORESTATION
 DEFORESTATION
 Deforestation is the
logging or burning of
trees in a forested
area
There are several reasons deforestation
occurs:

 Commodity
 Pasture
 Plantations of commodities
 Human settlement
DEFORESTATION
 The removal of trees without sufficient
reforestation has resulted in:
- damage to habitat
- biodiversity loss
- aridity
DEFORESTATION

 Deforested regions
often degrade into
wasteland 
DEFORESTATION
Why deforestation occurs?
 Disregard or ignorance of intrinsic value
 Lack of recognized value
 Lax forest management
 Deficient environmental law
- Some of the factors that allow deforestation
to occur on a large scale.
Why trees matter?

 Forests must first be given

credit for what they bring to
global ecosystems

 The quality of life that all

species maintain
gives ecological balance
Why trees matter?

 Tropical Rainforests presently give a place to

call home for 50% - 90% of all organisms
 50 million creatures that can live no place but
the rich rainforests
Why trees matter?

 Not only are other

species at risk
 The human race also
benefits from what the
trees give
Why trees matter?
 According to the World Rainforest Movement:
- 25% of medicines come from the forests
- this is a number that does not do justice to
all the cures that have yet to be discovered or
that have been destroyed
Why trees matter?
 The forests give life, not only to other species,
but they help to prolong the human race

 Trees improve the quality of the air

- by trapping carbon and other particles
produced by pollution
Why trees matter?

 Preventing erosion and

landslides
 Mother earth has given
much responsibility to
trees
Causes of Deforestation
 inequitable distribution of wealth and power
 population growth
 overpopulation
 urbanization
 globalization
 corruption of government institutions
Deforestation is due to:

 5% cattle ranching
 19% over-heavy logging
 22% growing sector of
plantations
 54% due to slash-and-burn
farming
Environmental Problems Caused by
Deforestation
Atmospheric
 Deforestation is ongoing and is shaping:
- climate
▪ major causes of the enhanced
greenhouse effect

- geography
Atmospheric
 Rainforests are widely believed to contribute a
significant amount of world's oxygen
 Forests are also able to extract carbon dioxide
and pollutants from the air, thus contributing to
biosphere stability.
Hydrological

 Deforestation affects
water cycle.
 Trees extract
groundwater through
their roots and release
it into the atmosphere.
Hydrological
 When part of a forest is removed, the trees no
longer evaporate away this water, resulting in a
much drier climate.
 Deforestation reduces soil cohesion, so that
erosion, flooding and landslides ensue.
Soil

 Deforestation generally
increases rates of soil erosion.

 Tree roots bind soil together.

 Undisturbed forest has very low

rates of soil loss.
Ecological
 Deforestation results in
declines in biodiversity
 Forests support:
- biodiversity
- providing habitat for
wildlife
- forests foster
medicinal conservation
Economic Impact

 Damage to forests affect living

standards for the world's poor
and reduce global GDP.
Economic Impact
 Developed countries continue to utilize:
- timber for building houses
- wood pulp for paper
 Developing countries almost three billion people
rely on wood for heating and cooking.
HISTORICAL CAUSES

 Prehistory
- Deforestation has been
practiced by humans for tens of
thousands of years before the
beginnings of civilization
 Fire was the first tool that
allowed humans to modify the
landscape.
Pre-industrial history

 From 1100 to 1500 AD significant deforestation

took place in Western Europe as a result of the
expanding human population
 The large-scale building of wooden sailing ships
by European (coastal) naval owners since the
15th century for exploration.
Pre-industrial history

 Europeans had lived in the midst of vast forests

throughout the earlier medieval centuries
 After 1250 they became so skilled at
deforestation that by 1500 AD they were running
short of wood for heating and cooking.
Pre-industrial history
 They were faced with a
nutritional decline
 Because of the elimination of
the generous supply of wild
game that had inhabited the
now-disappearing forests
Pre-industrial history
 Europeans had lived in the midst of vast forests
throughout the earlier medieval centuries
 After 1250 they became so skilled at
deforestation that by 1500 AD they were running
short of wood for heating and cooking
Pre-industrial history
 They were faced with a nutritional decline
because of the elimination of the generous
supply of wild game that had inhabited the now-
disappearing forests,
Rates of deforestation

 Jungle burned for

agriculture in southern
Mexico
 Global deforestation
sharply accelerated
around 1852
Rates of deforestation
 It has been estimated that about half of the
earth's mature tropical forests
- between 7.5 million and 8 million km2 of the
original 15 million to 16 million km2 that until
1947 covered the planet have now been cleared.
Rates of deforestation

 Some scientists have

predicted that unless
significant measures
- such as seeking out and
protecting old growth
forests that haven't been
disturbed are taken on a
worldwide basis
Rates of deforestation
 By 2030 there will only be ten percent remaining
 Another ten percent in a degraded condition
 80 percent will have been lost
 With them hundreds of thousands of
irreplaceable species.
Rates of deforestation
 In Central America, two-thirds of lowland
tropical forests have been turned into pasture
 Since 1950 and 40% of all the rainforests have
been lost in the last 40 years
 Brazil has lost 90-95% of its Mata Atlântica
forest
 
Rates of deforestation

 Madagascar has lost

90% of its eastern
rainforests
 As of 2007, less than
1% of Haiti's forests
remained
Rates of deforestation
Countries who have lost large areas of their rainforest:
 Mexico
 India
 Philippines
 Indonesia
 Thailand
 Côte d'Ivoire
Rates of deforestation

 Countries who have lost large

areas of their rainforest:
 Myanmar
 Malaysia
 Bangladesh
 China
 Sri Lanka
 Laos
 Nigeria
Rates of deforestation
 Countries who have lost large areas of their
rainforest:
 Democratic Republic of the Congo
 Liberia
 Guinea
 Ghana
Rates of deforestation

 Several countries, notably

Brazil
-Have declared their
deforestation a national
emergency
Deforestation by region
 Rates of deforestation vary around the world:
- South-east Asia
- Parts of South America
 The two region being the highest concern to
environmentalists.
FOREST MANAGEMENT
 Efforts to stop or slow deforestation have been
attempted for many centuries
 It has long been known that deforestation can
cause environmental damage sufficient in some
cases to cause societies to collapse
FOREST MANAGEMENT

 In Tonga, rulers developed

policies designed to prevent
conflicts
 Between short-term gains from
converting forest to farmland
and long-term problems forest
loss would cause
FOREST MANAGEMENT
 While during the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries in Tokugawa, Japan, the shoguns
developed a highly sophisticated system of long-
term planning
-By substituting timber by other products and
more efficient use of land that had been farmed
for many centuries
REFORESTATION

 In many parts of the

world, especially in
East Asian countries:
- reforestation
- afforestation
 Increasing the area of
forested lands
FOREST MANAGEMENT
 The amount of woodland has increased in 22 of
the world's 50 most forested nations
 Asia as a whole gained 1 million hectares of
forest between 2000 and 2005
FOREST MANAGEMENT
 Tropical forest in El Salvador expanded more
than 20 percent between 1992 and 2001
 Based on these trends, one study projects that
global forest will increase by 10 percent
- an area the size of India by 2050.
REFORESTATION
 In China, where large scale destruction of
forests has occurred
-The government has in the past required that
every able-bodied citizen between the ages of
11 and 60 plant three to five trees per year or do
the equivalent amount of work in other forest
services.
REFORESTATION
 The government claims that at least 1 billion
trees have been planted in China every year
since 1982
 This is no longer required today, but March 12 of
every year in China is the Planting Holiday.
REFORESTATION

 Different conservation group

were established
FOREST PLANTATION
 One analysis of Food and Agriculture
Organization data suggests that :
- afforestation
- reforestation
 “Could reverse the global decline in woodlands
within 30 years."
Deforestation in the Philippines
 Spanning the past 5 decades, 2/3 of the forests
of the Philippines have been deforested
 Causing it to attain one of the highest
deforestation rates in the world
Deforestation in the Philippines

 Now the Philippines is

facing:
- floods
- poor water quality
- infertility of soil