BEACON HIGH SCHOOL

GEOGRAPHY LESSON NO 2
NATURAL RESOURCES – LAND, SOIL, WATER, NATURAL RESOURCES AND
WILDLIFE
CLASS 8 DATE – 3/6/21
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1. Define natural resources
Natural resources are all those useful raw materials that we get from the earth. This means
human action turns naturally available things—air, water, soil and forests, into resources.

2. What percentage of the earth’s surface is land and how much of it can man use?
About 30% of the earth’s surface is land and we can use about 20% only.

3. Mention three uses of land.

The three uses of land are for agriculture, settlements and to develop transport systems.

4. What do you mean by land degradation?

Land degradation refers to the decline in the productivity of cultivated and forest land.

5. What are the ways of saving water?

Ways of saving water
1. Turn the tap off while brushing teeth or scrubbing hands
2. Fix leaking faucets and pipes
3. Switch off lights and fans when not in use
4. Rain water harvesting should be installed at each house or housing complex
5. use sprinklers for irrigation.

6. Define the term ’derelict land’.

Derelict land is land that has become damaged by industrial or other development and
beyond beneficial use without treatment.

7. How can we conserve our vegetation and wildlife?

1. Conserving our vegetation by planting trees,
2. protecting forests from fires,
3. generating public awareness,
4. discouraging the practice of shifting agriculture,
5. restricting quarrying and mining
6. encouraging awareness programmes like social forestry.
7. Protecting and conserving wildlife—setting up of national parks, biosphere reserves
8. and wildlife sanctuaries.
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8. Give reason for the need to increase the amount of arable land.
We need to increase arable land because as the world’s population increase and economy
expands the demand for land increases.
Therefore, we have to find ways to increase the land supply of usable land to meet the
growing need.

9. Write in brief the factors that affect the formation of soil.

The factors that affect the formation of soil are parent rock, flora and fauna, climate, time
and relief.
1. Parent rock depends on drainage, nutrients, depth, colour, texture.
2. Flora and fauna affect the amount of humus formation.
3. Climate—the rate of weathering, precipitation and the movement of water within the
soil.
4. Relief—Altitude and steepness of the slope.
5. Time—Soil of certain depth is needed to support agriculture and that takes 3000 to
12000 years to form.

10. What are the consequences of deforestation?

The consequences of deforestation—
1. Soil erosion—As the roots of trees hold soil together, once the trees are cut down soil
gets washed away.
2. Landslides— After deforestation, when there are no forest trees left to hold the soil as
a result shear strength of soil particles decreases and landslides are more prone to
occur.
3. The level of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is disturbed.
4. Trees act as natural air conditioners as they cool the earth by giving shade. So if we
cut trees temperature rises.
5. There is runoff from treeless slopes which carry soil and deposit them on river beds
raising their levels. So during heavy rains, the water cannot be controlled and there
are floods.

11. What are the causes of soil erosion?

The causes of soil erosion are:
1. Overgrazing by animals reduces the grass cover which holds soil and the soil is
exposed to the agents of weathering. 50
2. Deforestation causes the rain and wind to remove the soil as the roots are not there to
hold the soil.
3. Improper methods of cultivation for example, ploughing up and down slopes as it
increases surface run-off.
4. Heavy rains and landslides also cause soil erosion.
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12. What are the various techniques of preventing soil erosion?

The various techniques of preventing soil erosion are:
1. Contour farming on gentle slopes when crops are grown across the slopes.
2. Terracing or steps could be made on steeper slopes as these retain water and control
run-off.
3. Afforestation by planting trees. They also act as wind breakers.
4. Mulching—by covering bare ground between plants with layers of straw helps in
retaining soil moisture.
5. Rock dams—Rocks are piled along steeps slopes to slow down the flow of water, it
prevents soil loss and formation of gullies.

13. How can rain water be harvested?

1. Rain water can be harvested by installing rain water harvesting systems in each house
or housing complex to help in penetration of water into sub-layers and increase the
level of underground water.
2. The run-off from the roofs are piped into underground tanks which first goes through
the distillation plant to the underground tank and can be pumped up.
3. Run-off from buildings can be collected in drums to be used for watering the garden
or parks.

14. ‘More work in the world must be done on how to use water – explain this statement by
giving examples.
1. More work in the world must be done on how to reuse water because water which
was once considered an exhaustible natural resource has now been labeled as ‘a
scarce resource’.
2. One way is water harvesting where rainwater is collected to be reused again.
3. In Japan, a basin is attached over the flush so that the water to wash hands then goes
into the flush and is re-used.
I. Factories and industries should clean the water used before releasing it into water
sources so that the water can be reused.
II. Reuse excess drinking water.
III. When vegetables are washed the water can be reused to water the plants instead of
being thrown away.
IV. Dirty aquarium water can be used as fertilizer for the plants.

15. How does land fulfill our needs?

1. We get our food from plants and trees that grow on land.
2. We build houses on land that gives us shelter.
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3. We construct roads and railway lines on land that helps us to travel from one place to
another.
4. We get minerals from land that is very essential for our development.
5. We build factories and other buildings on land.

16. Mention some methods that are used to conserve soil?

Some of the methods used to conserve soil are:
1. Mulching.
2. Contour barriers.
3. Rock dam.
4. Terrace farming.
5. Intercropping.
6. Crop rotation.
7. Contour ploughing.
8. Shelterbelts.
9. Afforestation.
10.Prevention of Overgrazing.