Important Resources and Services Provided by Land to Humankind

From a human point of view, land resource includes all those aspects and functions of the land, which can be used to fulfil human needs. Some of the important resources and services provided by land to humankind are:

Minerals

Mineral is a pure inorganic substance that occurs naturally in the earth’s crust. Almost all minerals are found in the earth’s crust. Minerals are non-renewable resources and include metals like iron, copper, aluminium etc and non-metals like phosphates, gypsum, clay, sand etc. Minerals are extremely valuable to humans as they are essential raw material in industries and play a major role in overall development of nation. Minerals available in the earth’s crust can be divided into three categories

1. Metallic minerals like Iron, aluminium, lead, zinc etc
2. Non-metallic minerals like graphite, felspar, asbestos, limestone etc
3. Mineral fuels like coal, natural gas, petroleum etc

India is rich in mineral resources and has sufficient quantities of iron, aluminium, titanium copper, lead and zinc ores.

Soil

Soil is defined as the outermost thin layer of earth’s crust which serves as the natural medium for growth of plants, providing them a substrate for anchorage and essential nutrients for their growth. Soil is a complex mixture of organic and mineral content which is constantly being formed by the chemical decomposition and mechanical disintegration of rocks. Soil is a renewable resource which is constantly being formed and destroyed, mainly by erosion process. The topmost layer of soil rich in organic matter is called humus and is the most fertile layer.

Soil forms a fundamental part of the human environment and is as essential as water. Soil provides the substrate to support the productivity and cycling of biological resources, it is the source of nutrients and water for agricultural and forestry ecosystems and acts as a complex buffer against environmental variability. Soil is very rich in microbial biodiversity and is also a major reservoir of carbon.

Soil across the world varies with respect to its characteristics and properties which forms the basis for its classification. The major soil groups found in India are alluvial soil, black soil, red soil, laterite soil, desert soil and acid soils.

Agriculture

The most dominant use of land resource by humans has been in the form of agriculture in order to meet the food demand of the growing world population. Agricultural ecosystems cover nearly 40% of the land surface. The total world land area suitable for cropping is 4.4 billion hectares out of which 1.6 billion hectares is currently under cultivation. Agriculture is the dominant driving force for the economy of a number of world’s developing countries, which includes India as well. Agricultural productivity has increased manifold globally over the last 70-80 years due to increased use of fertilizers and pesticides. But this highly chemical intensive agriculture has also adversely impacted the land and its associated resources.

Natural Forest Products

Forest products are materials derived from forests for consumption and profitable use. These mainly include timber, firewood, wood pulp for paper and forage for livestock. There are also other non-wood products that are derived from forests which include nuts, resins, gum, medicinal plants, edible fruits, oils etc which are collectively called as non-timber forest products (NTFPs). These NTFP’s are considered to have relatively lesser negative effects on forest ecosystem. Forest products are used extensively worldwide for a number of purposes including cooking, animal feeding, as medicines for healing, household subsistence, income generation as well as cultural traditions. These products are also an extremely important source of revenue generation for all countries.

Medicinal Plants

Medicinal plants are valuable natural resources obtained from land (mainly forests) which have been used by human communities since prehistoric times. The immense diversity of medicinal flora in tropical forests is an invaluable source of new pharmaceutical products. About 80% of the world’s developing countries are dependent on these traditional medicinal plants for primary health care. For a majority of people living in rural and urban areas in developing countries, medicinal plants are the only available treatment for various minor and major diseases. Moreover the demand for medicinal plants is continuously on the rise as more people are understanding their importance as compared to the allopathic medicines.

Forest Based Industries and Livelihood

Forest have played a significant role in building up the economy of various countries and have provided a means of living to millions of people. Forest serves as a source of raw materials for large, medium and small scale industries. Globally, about two billion people use fuelwood and charcoal as their main source of energy for cooking and for heating their homes. Millions of rural households obtain income by collecting and selling forest products like food, fuel, medicinal plants and construction materials. Many sell timber from their land areas to logging companies, or make and sell furniture and handicrafts. And industrial logging provides employment and earnings for people in countries like Brazil, India, China and Indonesia. Forests also contribute to livelihoods in an indirect manner as they provide soil nutrients and forage for crops and livestock. They also help in pollinating crops, reduce soil erosion, and provide protection from natural disasters. Globally, it is estimated that between about 1.5- 2 billion people depend on forests for their livelihoods and income and about 200 million people from indigenous communities are almost fully dependent on forests.