Non-renewable Resources:

After learning about the renewable resources like water, forests etc., you would like to know what our non-renewable resources such as land, mineral, oceanic resources are. These resources can neifher be regenerated nor expanded. 

Land resources 

Land is a basic resource for us. As you have learnt in the previous unit, it is, in fact, the foundation  on which the entire ecological system rests and it is the living ground (habitat) for all terrestrial plants and animals. The capability of  land to support life and various activities of man and animals is dependent both on  its biological productivity,  and load bearing capacity of  the soil and rocks. Land is under great pressure due  to increase  in population. Our land mass which was, in 1901,  inhabited by  238 million people, is now shared by more than 780 million people. Mismanagement of  the land resource as a result of  indiscriminate cutting of  trees or deforestation has caused considerable damage to the quality of  the soil and landscapes. Today, per capita land resource available in  India is less than 0.4 hectare and it is presumed that with  the present rate of population growth,  it would be reduced to about 0.33 hectare by  theof twentieth century. Thus, you can realise  the magnitude of  the pressure on our land resources. 

Soil resources

Soil, which forms the uppermost layer of  the land, is the most precious of all resources, because it supports  the whole life system, provides food and fodder in  the form of vegetation and stores water essential for life. It contains sand, silt and clays, mixed with air and moisture. It possesses rich organic and mineral nutrients. The type of  soil varies from place to place. Those soils which are rich in organic matter are fertile. Fertility is also dependent on  the capacity of  the soil to retain water and oxygen. The following major types of  soil are recognisable  in  the Indian sub-continent.