Geography Ch2 Land Soil and Water Handouts

K.R.
Mangalam World School, Gurugram

Class VIII
Geography
LAND, SOIL, WATER, NATURAL VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES
All the natural resources like land, soil, water and wildlife provide various ecosystem
services which make
human life easier and possible in following manner.
Land:
 Land is most important natural resource. It covers only about 30% of the total area
of the Earth's surface and all parts of this small percentage are not habitable.
 The uneven distribution of the population in different parts of the world is mainly
due to varied characteristics of land and climate.
 The rugged topography, steep slopes of the mountains, low-lying areas susceptible to
waterlogging, desert areas, thickly forested areas are normally sparsely populated
or uninhabited.
 Plains and river valleys offer suitable land for agriculture. Hence, these are the
densely populated areas of the world.
Land use:
It refers to the use of land for different purposes such as agriculture, forestry,
mining, building houses, roads, and setting up of industries.
Factors affecting land use pattern:
· Physical factors, such as topography, soil, climate, minerals, and availability of
water.
· Human factors, such as population and technology.
Classification of land based on ownership:
· Private land ownership: Private land is owned by individuals.
· Community land ownership: Community land is owned by the community for
common uses like a collection of fodder, fruits, nuts, or medicinal herbs. These
community lands are also called common property resources.
Challenges to land resources:
· Growing demand of the people despite of limited availability of land.
· Encroachments in urban areas on common or community lands for building
housing complexes, and to expand the agricultural land in the rural areas.
· Land degradation, landslides, soil erosion, desertification etc. deteriorating the
quality of soil.
Measures for conserving land resources:
Afforestation, land reclamation, regulated use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers,
and checks on overgrazing are some of the common methods used to conserve land
resources.
Soil:
 The thin layer of grainy substance covering the surface of the Earth is called soil. It
is closely linked to the land. Soil is made up of organic matter, minerals, and
weathered rocks found on the Earth. This happens through the process of weathering.
The right mix of minerals and organic matter makes the soil fertile.
 Weathering: The breaking up and decay of exposed rocks, by temperature changes,
frost action, plants, animals and human activity.
Factors of Soil formation:
· Major factors: Nature of parent rocks and climatic factors.
· Other factors: like the topography, role of organic material and time.
Factors responsible for Soil Degradation:
 Natural factors: Rain wash, landslides, and floods etc
 Human factors: Deforestation, overgrazing, overuse of chemical fertilizers or
pesticides etc.
Methods for Soil Conservation:

1. Mulching: The bare ground between plants is covered with a layer of organic matter
like straw. It helps to retain soil moisture.
2. Contour barriers: Stones, grass, soil are used to build barriers along contours.
Trenches are made in front of the barriers to collect water.
3. Rock dam: Rocks are piled up to slow down the flow of water. This prevents gullies
and further soil loss.
4. Terrace farming: Broad flat steps or terraces are made on the steep slopes so that flat
surfaces are available to grow crops. They reduce surface runoff and soil erosion.
5. Intercropping: Different crops are grown in alternate rows and are sown at different
times to protect the soil from rain wash.
6. Contour ploughing: Ploughing parallel to the contours of a hill slope to form a
natural barrier for water to flow down the slope.
7. Shelterbelts: In the coastal and dry regions, rows of trees are planted to check the
wind movement to protect soil cover.
Water:
 Water is a vital renewable natural resource. Three-fourth of the Earth's surface is
covered with water. Water can neither be added nor subtracted from the Earth. Its
total volume remains constant.
 Abundance of water only seems to vary because it is in constant motion through the
process of water cycle. The oceans cover two-thirds of the Earth's surface and
support a rich variety of plant and animal life.
 Fresh water accounts for only about 2.7 per cent. Nearly 70 per cent of this occurs
as ice sheets and glaciers in Antarctica, Greenland and mountain regions. Only 1 per
cent of freshwater is available and fit for human use. It is found as ground water,
as surface water in rivers and lakes and as water vapour in the atmosphere.
Problems of Water Availability:
Countries located in drought climatic zones are most susceptible to face great
problems of water scarcity. Thus, water shortage may be a consequence of variation in
seasonal or annual precipitation or the scarcity is caused by over-exploitation and
contamination of water sources.
Increasing population, rising demands for food and cash crops, increasing
urbanisation and rising standards of living are the major factors leading to
shortages in supply of fresh water either due to drying up of water sources or water
pollution.
Major Reason for the pollution of water:
· Discharging of untreated or partially treated sewage, agricultural chemicals
and industrial
effluents in water bodies.
Methods of conserving water resources:
1. Water Treatment: Water pollution can be controlled by treating these effluents suitably
before releasing them in water bodies.
2. Vegetation cover: Vegetation cover helps in slowing down the surface runoff and
replenishes underground water.
3. Water Harvesting: Water harvesting is another method to save surface runoff.
4. Use of modern irrigation methods such as proper construction of irrigation canals to
reduce water seepage, use of sprinklers and drip irrigation in dry regions etc.
Natural Vegetation and Wildlife:

1. Biosphere: The narrow zone of contact between the lithosphere, hydrosphere and
atmosphere where natural vegetation and wildlife exists is called as Biosphere.
2. Ecosystem: In the biosphere, living beings are inter-related and interdependent on
each other for survival. This life supporting system is known as the ecosystem.
3. Importance/significance of vegetation: Vegetation is valuable resources. Plants
provide us with timber, give shelter to animals, produce oxygen we breathe, protects
the soils. Also give us fruits, nuts, latex, turpentine oil, gum, medicinal plants etc.
4. Importance/significance of wildlife: Wildlife includes animals, birds, insects as well
as the aquatic life forms. They provide us milk, meat, hides and wool. Insects like
bees provide us honey, help in pollination of flowers and have an important role to
play as decomposers in the ecosystem. Vultures due to its ability to feed on dead
livestock is a scavenger and considered a vital cleanser of the environment.
Distribution of Natural Vegetation:
Vegetation depends primarily on temperature and moisture. The major vegetation types of
the world are grouped as forests, grasslands, scrubs, and tundra.
1. Forests: These are the areas of heavy rainfall where huge trees may thrive. The
vegetation in the forests depends upon the amount of moisture present in the
atmosphere. As the amount of moisture decreases, the size of trees and their density
reduces.
2. Grass lands: These are the regions of moderate rainfall where short, stunted trees and
grasses grow.
3. Thorny shrubs and scrubs grow in dry areas of low rainfall. In such areas, plants
have deep roots and leaves with thorny and waxy surface to reduce loss of moisture
through transpiration.
4. Tundra vegetation: These are generally found in cold Polar Regions such as mosses
and lichens.
Conservation of Natural Vegetation and Wildlife:
Forests are our wealth. Plants give shelter to the animals and together they maintain the
ecosystem.
Threats to forest and wildlife:
· Changes of climate and human interferences can cause the loss of natural habitats
for the plants and animals.
· Deforestation, soil erosion, constructional activities, forest fires, tsunami and
landslides are some of the human and natural factors which accelerate the process of
extinction of these resources.
· One of the major concerns is the poaching which result in a sharp decline in the
number of particular species.
Steps that need to be taken to conserve forests and wildlife:
1. Establishment of National parks, Wildlife sanctuaries and Biosphere
reserves to protect the natural vegetation and wildlife.
2. Promoting conservation of creeks, lakes, and wetlands to save the precious
resource from depletion.
3. Awareness programmes like social forestry and Vanamohatasava should
be encouraged at the regional and community level.

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K.R.

Mangalam World School, Gurugram

Methods for Soil Conservation:

Natural Vegetation and Wildlife:

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