Video Lesson

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• Explain the importance of land as a natural resource,
• Identify the functions of land,
• Describe the relations between land and people, and
• Elaborate the importance of land management

Brainstorming Question

How do you explain the importance of land as a resource?

What do you know about the types or categories of natural resources?

Why do we study natural resources?

Key words

• Land
• Land management
• Natural resources
• Non-renewable resources
• Renewable resource

The importance of land as a natural resource

Dear Online Learner! The land is a very broad concept and has a wider range of meanings.

The land is the ultimate resource and foundation of all forms of human activity for without it, life on Earth cannot be sustained. Land again represents fundamental components of the ecosystem. Land as a resource, therefore, incorporates the natural resources and is viewed also as an environment.

Land resources are useable materials that are often occurring naturally in the environment.

They are derived from the Earth: from Lithosphere, Biosphere, Atmosphere, or Hydrosphere.

They are classified into different groups based on different parameters. For instance, based on:

• Regeneration: renewable and non-renewable resources,
• Origin: biotic and abiotic resources,
• Current use and future availability: stock and flow resources,
• Distribution and volume: ubiquitous, unique, common, and rare resources,
• Stage of development: potential, actual and conditional resources.

Renewable resources such as plants and animals are often regenerative and replaceable after use. Being classified as a renewable resource does always mean not depleting at all. Sustainable use of such resources is thus the basic requirement for preserving land resources for the benefit of humankind. Some of the renewable resources are inexhaustible exist as flow chattels (e.g. sunlight, oxygen in the atmosphere, wind, etc.).

Non-renewable resources exist in a finite supply and do not replace themselves after use.

They diminish in size and quality with excessive use. Minerals and fossil fuels are the best examples of these resource groups. As it is difficult to get back these resources, recycling and reusing are among the recommended management options.

Land as an environment refers to the ecological aspects of the Earth such as soil quality or biodiversity and its functions within the ecosystem.

The land comprises both biophysical and socioeconomic resources. Land as an environment is considered as an area of the Earth’s surface embracing all aspects of the biotic and abiotic components existing on, above, and below the surface of the Earth.

The functions of land

• Production function
• Waste disposal function
• Economic asset:
• Cultural asset

Land management

Dear Online Learner! Land management refers to the proper use and protection of land resources to provide optimal benefit to growing populations and uphold sustained ecosystem services.

It thus has to reflect the principles of sustainable resource use and development. For that, it has to build upon national, regional, and local needs and aspirations.

For instance, proper farming practices, tree planting (afforestation and reforestation), controlled grazing, terracing, and check-damming can be used to protect soils, water, and forests. Adaptation of fuel-saving technologies in vehicles; use of renewable power sources (e.g. hydropower) for industrial and home energy requirements help to reduce environmental pollution. Besides these, land management should consider cultural, economic, and political settings.

All renewable resources, soils, water, and forests are the most influenced by humans and placed under increased pressure.

Large parts of these resources are available as common-pool wealth in many areas and face greater pressure (the tragedy of the commons). They face the prime impact of rapid population growth and increased rural-urban migration.

Soil resources

Dear Online Learner! Nearly 33% of the world’s arable land and soils have been destroyed by soil erosion. The main causes of the depletion are the loss of essential soil nutrients; reduction of the biological components; removal of the top soil; crusting and compaction; plus pollution and soil salinity. The main forms of soil degradation (depletion) are Physical (crusting, compaction, depth reduction), Chemical (salinization, alkalinisation, acidification), and Biological (loss of soil biota, decline of soil organic carbon).

They can be managed through proper utilization; by the adoption of erosion control structures; and through the addition of manure and natural fertilizers.

Water resources

Dear Online Learner! It is essential for the generation and growth of plants. It forms also the major components of soil formation, rock weathering, organic matter decomposition, and rainfall formation.

Figure 3.3 Water stress feared to take place in the middle of the 21st Century

With the commencement of the 21^st century, the world’s freshwater resources fall under great pressure.

• Suffer a lot from excessive human pressure.
• Rivers and lakes threatened by domestic and industrial wastes.
• Oil spills (leakages) from steamships/boats plus
• Chemicals  released from industries
• Water scarcities and effluence of the sources are resulting in turbulence.
• The outcome would likely be a worldwide water crisis that might transpire in the middle of this century.

The world population is likely to approach 10 billion by 2050 which might cause more demand for water to satisfy the expanded needs of agriculture and industry. The amplified population again may pose natural disasters like flooding, droughts, and pollution of surface and ground waters.

Climate change may likely upset the features of the hydrological cycle in many delicate areas.

With that water would likely emerge as a source of contention and skirmish between nations sharing river basins (international rivers) coupled with the diminishing base of resources. The risks posed by water may impact also human health, livelihoods, socio-economy, political stability, culture, and society, for water arrives essentially into all human activity.

The following measures can be taken to address the competing uses and sustain the health of freshwater resources:

• Developing safe waste disposal sewerage systems,
• Adopting laws restricting withdrawal of wastes to river and lake systems,
• Locating industries far from rivers and lakes,
• Desalination of sea water to minimize stress on streams and lakes,
• Recycling of waste water through careful treatment,
• Using porous pavements to avoid the drain of wastewater into watercourses,
• Watershed management.

Forest resources

Dear Online Learner! Throughout the history of humankind, forests have been essential for the well-being of people and presently donate much to the livelihoods of billions of populations worldwide.

Forest ecosystems:

• Donate a wide range of services like climate stabilization, flood control, waste filtration, and soil erosion control at local, regional, and global scales.
• Uptake and store the world’s carbon stocks and serves as heat and waste sequestration.
• Serve as a habitat for the Earth’s known terrestrial species.

Nevertheless, about 13 million ha of forested lands have been annually converted into other land uses due to natural causes at the global level. Large-scale plantation agriculture and livestock ranching, increasing demand for biofuels, mining, rapid urbanization, climate change, changes in consumption patterns, and human values and ethics due to the rapid increase of world population and world trade have been creating additional pressure on the status of world forests.

The following measures could be taken to safeguard the security of forest resources:

• Initiating afforestation and reforestation programs like the ‘Green Legacy’ practiced in Ethiopia,
• Integrating forest management with Soil and Water Conservation (SWC) programs,
• Looking for alternative energy sources from other renewable resources (hydropower, solar power, wind power, etc.),
• Adopting restrictive laws on unwise use of common-pool forests (e.g. using bylaws),
• Encouraging participatory forest management (e.g. engaging users in decision making),
• Education and awareness creation (educating and awaking forest users), and
• Watershed management (protecting the watersheds).