- Environment meaning: Environment includes all biotic and abiotic factors like physical, social and biological surroundings.
- Development meaning: Development means overall economic, social and political improvement, which requires natural resources.
- Problem created: Overuse and careless exploitation of resources for quick development causes environmental degradation and pollution.
- Environmental management: It is a process of planning, assessment, decision-making and monitoring to protect the environment with limited resources.
- Sustainable development link: Environmental management is necessary for sustainable development, i.e. meeting present needs without harming future generations’ needs.
Key Points
Key Points: Need for Environmental Management vs Development
Key Points: Land Use in India
- Land use importance: Land is used for many purposes, and studying land use helps understand India’s economic condition.
- Factors affecting land use: Land utilisation depends on physical factors (relief, soil, climate) and human factors (population, technology, land tenure).
- Net area sown: This is the most important for agriculture; it has increased over time but has limited scope to expand due to natural limitations.
- Area sown more than once: Used for multiple crops in a year; increasing this is the best way to raise production through higher cropping intensity.
- Forest land: Forest area has increased, but it is still less than the required 33%, so afforestation is needed.
- Wasteland and fallow land: Culturable waste and fallow land reduce production; they can be improved through reclamation, irrigation and better farming methods.
- Small land holdings problem: Indian farms are becoming smaller and fragmented due to inheritance laws, reducing productivity; consolidation and cooperative farming are solutions.
