Introduction

Natural resources are materials and components that can be found within the environment, essential for the survival and development of living organisms. These resources can be classified into renewable (e.g., solar energy, wind, and biomass) and non-renewable (e.g., fossil fuels, minerals).

The degradation of natural resources, such as deforestation, soil erosion, and water pollution, results in significant environmental impacts, including loss of biodiversity, climate change, and desertification.

Conservation efforts focus on sustainable management practices to preserve these resources for future generations. Human activities, such as population growth, urbanization, industrialization, and the expansion of slums, exacerbate resource depletion and environmental degradation. Wildlife resources face threats from habitat destruction and poaching, necessitating stringent conservation measures.

Concurrently, addressing human resource challenges, like poverty and overpopulation, is critical to mitigating environmental impacts and ensuring sustainable development.

Objectives

After going through this unit you will be able to:

1. describe what is resources , their conservation and degradation;

2. explain environmental impact and human impacts of resource depletion;

3. what is human sources and their impacts;

4. know about different terms such as slums, poverty, etc.