Conservation: Natural Resource Management and Sustainable Development
Concepts
Resources are renewable (solar, wind, water, biomass, soil fertility) or non-renewable (coal, minerals, fossil water). Sustainable development, defined by the Brundtland report in 1987, means meeting present needs without compromising future generations; it is operationalised through the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Carrying capacity and ecological footprint measure pressure on resources.
Management tools
Watershed management combines contour bunding, check dams, gully plugs, afforestation and drainage-line treatment to conserve soil and water together. Rainwater harvesting - rooftop to recharge pits - matters in Maharashtra's rain-shadow districts. Follow the 3R hierarchy: reduce, reuse, recycle. Environmental Impact Assessment screens projects before clearance. Community participation runs through Joint Forest Management, water user associations and People's Biodiversity Registers.
Worked example
A 5-hectare farm on a 6% slope loses topsoil every monsoon. Which measure comes first? Contour bunding along the contour slows runoff velocity and traps sediment; gully check dams then store water. Reasoning: erosion scales with velocity, so reduce velocity before building storage.
Traps
Sustainable development does not mean zero growth or no use of resources. Renewable is not unlimited - groundwater is renewable yet can be mined. EIA is a decision aid, not a blanket ban. Bunding does not replace drainage-line treatment; the two work together.