Land Use Pattern in India
This section explores the concept of resources, emphasizing that they are not merely free gifts of nature but the result of human interaction with the environment. Resources can be classified based on four criteria: origin (biotic and abiotic), exhaustibility (renewable and non-renewable), ownership (individual, community, national, and international), and the status of development (potential, developed stock, and reserves).
Resources are vital for human survival and quality of life; however, their indiscriminate use has led to significant issues such as resource depletion, environmental degradation, and social inequality. Sustainable development, defined at the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992 as meeting present needs without compromising future generations, is emphasized as a necessary approach to resource management. Resource planning is crucial in India, which has diverse resource availability and needs balanced use across different regions. Additionally, conservation practices are vital to maintain ecological balance and support various economic activities. This section concludes with the classification and significance of land and soil resources, highlighting their role in sustaining life.