HUMANS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT

Introduction
The earth has enormous natural resources, many that can be renewed and
few that are non-renewable however very useful to man in diverse ways. To
some extent, these resources that are discovered become unsustainable after
a while as result of destruction, over-exploitation and many other factors that
greatly affects the ecosystem. Largely, human activities contribute to the
declining of biological diversity therefore conservation policies are drawn to
check this menace. If not, animals including humans will be disadvantaged
and their survival can get threatened.
Learning Objectives
After studying this section, the learner will be able to:
1. Explain what Natural Resources are and give some examples
2. Distinguish between renewable and non-renewal natural resources
3. Explain the need for conserving natural resources
4. Explain the ecosystem approach to Natural Resource Management
5. Identify human activities that bring about undesirable change in the natural
environment.
6. Explain the term pollution, causes and its effects on the environment.
7. Discuss land degradation, air pollution and water pollution, and cite some
human activities promoting them as well as mention some possible ways and
means of controlling them respectively.
8. Describe the Integrated Water Resources Management and explain how it can
reduce undesirable change in the natural environment.

This section contains two (2) principal units as follow:

1. Natural resources
2. Consequences of human interference in nature

1. Natural Resources
Natural resources are the basic resources available as raw materials that
provide us with food, energy and capital. Some natural resources include air,
water bodies, land or soil, plants and animals. African countries like Ghana are
known to be the harbour of natural resources and these are in large
quantities. In Ghana, natural resources such as minerals (gold, diamond,
bauxite, crude oil etc) are in excess although this is dwindling as result of
over-exploitation. Petroleum as a natural resource is used to fuel vehicles and
machines to enable them work. Medicines are prepared using raw materials in
form of woods, roots, leaves, seeds and barks from plants. Also, tree logs and
woods are used to construct buildings and make charcoal for cooking and
other domestic uses. Steel and iron are sourced from iron ore. Jewelleries are
made from minerals like gold, diamonds and silicon. Resources that can be
replaced after being used is described as renewable while the resources that
deplete over time and are irreplaceable can be said to be non-renewable.
Although resources naturally form on their own, it takes about centuries for
them to renew therefore the need for their conservation to avoid exhaustion.
Natural Resources are inter-dependent on one another thus, their usage if not
managed so well, can cause their depletion hence affecting their existence.
Good conservation practices like afforestation, reforestation, ban on hunting
endangered species, recycling of waste and limited usage of non-renewable
resources can help our natural resources to maintain sustainable levels and
not harm but safeguard the ecosystem.

Renewable resources and Non-renewable resources

Renewable resources are natural resources that can be tapped, used, reused
and replaced by means of good management practices to avoid their
depletion. They can be identified amongst living or non-living things. Living
renewable resources include flora and fauna, i.e., forest resource, vegetative
resource or wildlife resource etc. Sunlight, water, air, rocks, hot springs, soil
as non-living in nature have renewable resources classified into; water
resource, energy resource, soil resource etc. Non-renewable resources are the
mineral resource in form of gold, diamond, bauxite, uranium, coal, petroleum
products etc. Minerals like fossil fuels (often called petroleum) are found in
the Earth crust, naturally formed from plants and animals that died some
millions ago as result of decomposition. This is a non-renewable because the
same fossil cannot be reused or replaced in the shortest time. For newly
formed ones, the Earth has to go through another decomposition process
which takes long period of time. Examples of fossil fuels are nuclear energy,
coal, oil and natural gas. Nuclear energy is a non-renewable resource that can
be used to generate electricity. Crude Oil can also be extracted and refined to
make energy products such as gasoline, diesel, petrol, kerosene, jet fuel,
cosmetics, moisturizers, waxes, paraffin, heavy fuel oil, asphalt and LPG
(Liquified Petroleum Gas). Non-renewable resources can be grouped into
metallic minerals and non-metallic minerals. Countries are entirely dependent
on non-renewable resources to supply their energy needs and technological
materials in building a developed robust economy to enable their citizens to
have a comfortable living. As a matter of fact, almost all countries within the
African continent known to have rich natural resources are used to exporting
them than its utilization in-country in order to generate income/revenue for
their livelihood. This puts pressure on such countries due to high demand for
their natural resources by other countries especially high-income countries
hence depleting the resources. This is why conservation bodies at
international, national and local levels have been passing legislations for
implementation across the world to help avoid this menace of depleting the
natural resources and have a healthy ecosystem. The need to conserve our
natural resources introduced the Natural Resource Management approach.

Natural Resource Management (NRM)

This approach is based on a defined knowledge of integrated processes that
ensures good management of resources used to operate an ecosystem. This
specifies any activity that will impact biodiversity and conservation, their
underlying causes and the extent to which an ecosystem can withstand and
recover from disruption. Objectively, NRM maintains ecological diversity,
unveils themes for research, assures resources for both present and future
generations, maintain facilities and offer employment for people. Here, let us
look at how to utilize and preserve our natural resources such as land, water,
air, minerals, forests, fisheries and/or wildlife.
Ways we can manage our natural resources can be projected in the following;
Soil and Water Conservation, Forestry Conservation/Management, Coastal
Zone Fisheries Management, Wildlife Conservation/Management and
Conservation of Mineral Resources.
Soil and Water Conservation
Practices like cover cropping, terracing, contour ploughing, mulching,
afforestation, bush farrowing, crop rotation, manuring and irrigation help
conserve the soil. This also improves soil fertility for good growth of
crops/plants. What makes soil infertile include soil erosion, burning of
vegetation before cropping, overcropping, leaching, surface compaction,
removal of surface soil during surface mining and overgrazing. A soil if well
looked after (conserved) will be properly aerated, have adequate supply of
water and mineral salts, suitable pH and would not experience erosion or
wilting.
Forestry Conservation/Management
Large forest areas are vast in parts of Africa and Ghana is no exception. The
forest in Ghana covers about 35% of the total land area. This is distributed in
the heavy rainfall zones of the country; Western, Central, Brong-Ahafo and
Ashanti regions. Typically, forest greatly impacts the economy through
production of timber for building/construction purposes, fuel production like
charcoal/firewood, rubber-paper making, medicines and tanning chemicals
and oils. Tourists visits Ghana most often to see its endowed forests and
parks where diverse species both flora and fauna are sheltered. Forests
influences the amount of rainfall in an area by causing the precipitation of
water from dump air as well as remove carbon dioxide released into the air.
The tropical rainforest and semi-deciduous forest in Ghana can be conserved
by practicing afforestation and reforestation, enacting regulations to harvest
only matured trees, encouraging use of plantations than forests for timber
production, regeneration, preventing forest fires caused by man (this is
because naturally lightning sometimes cause forest fires) and educating the
populace on the effects of deforestation or clearing of lands.
Coastal Zone Fisheries Management
The principles of the fisheries sector are towards sustainable catches of wild
aquatic fauna. The unsustainable harvesting of fish stocks and shellfish has
consequences for the ecological balance of the aquatic environment. Fishing
activities have an impact on cetaceans since they rely on the same fauna
within the water to feed and survive. There is also a concern that large
numbers of dolphins and even the globally endangered Monk seal, are being
killed. In tune to this, overharvesting of fish should be prohibited. Many
people employ the use of chemicals like DDT that releases toxins in water and
even intoxicates their fish-catch. This together with the use of inappropriate
nets to catch fishes declines the shape and stature of the water ecosystem.
Wildlife Conservation
Plants and animals in the wild are referred to as wildlife. They are very
important to be preserved. Reasons being that; wildlife gives pleasure to
many people by observing wild animals and plants; as a leisure, people enjoy
activities like hunting and fishing; wild species resist disease better than
domesticated species and many predatory wild animals serve as natural
enemies to keep pests in check. All these helps maintain the balance of
nature. If wild animals were to disappear forever, people could be overrun by
the pests. Conservation of wildlife is also essential for present day economic
reasons as this promotes tourism and bring in foreign currency to boost the
finances of our economy. Ways this can be ensured include; regulations to
discriminate against poaching (illegal catching/killing of game) and legal and
controlled killing of wild animals (i.e., game cropping) should be practiced in
national parks and game reserves; enact programmes that will protect big
games and birds endangered like vultures, lions, elephants, crocodiles etc.
It is factual that, if wildlife conservation is synchronically taught in academic
institutions, it will be appreciated why some species exist thereby create
awareness on the roles they play to balance nature. This will further
encourage people to help grow the population of wildlife for future
generations, if not, many of these plants and animals will go extinct just like
dinosaurs, flying horses, dragons, wilderianus and the Franklinia tree do not
exist anymore.
Conservation of Mineral Resources
Overexploitation of minerals occurs at an alarming rate even though it takes
millions of years to form. Minerals mined can be processed into usable
products like jewellery, fuel, electricity, plastics, weapons, machines and even
used to synthesize fertilizers. This has caused an increase in demand and
supply of the minerals on market as well as rise in prices of minerals. Thus, a
mineral producing nation gets to generate great income from sales of their
mineral products. Without mining, minerals would be lost forever however;
most mining firms go to the extent of extracting from higher depths causing
the minerals to deplete day by day and deteriorating the quality of the
minerals produced as well. Mining negatively impacts the environment by
contributing to environmental pollution therefore it has become very
important to manage and conserve our mineral resources. Some ways to
reduce the demand for minerals may include; reusing materials that are
recycled; reducing the consumption of resources like water and electricity;
 and storing oil reserves. Recently, minerals are extracted to reduce its
damage to the environment. This is done by a method referred to as Green
Mining. It is a method that does not involve the use of chemicals (e.g., lead)
that are harmful to the environment. Usually, it is advisable that land pits are
covered after been mined to enable the land or soil reclaim its vegetation.
This also promotes the land to make new minerals as decay of dead materials
occur.

2. Consequences of Human Interference in Nature

Activities like poaching, deforestation, unregulated mining, over-fishing and
combustion carried out by humans has disrupted nature. For instance, the
ozone layer responsible for shielding humans from the ultraviolet rays and
harmful gases ended up being destructed as result of bush burning, use of
gadgets that emits chlorofluorocarbon and more. Due to this, harsh climatic
conditions caused by greenhouse effect brings global warming that affect
humans. World leaders together, put measures in place to protect the
ecosystem from further pollution. These measures include in-situ
conservation ex-situ conservation. Through conservation methods like annual
planting of trees, checking of waterways, forestry and wildlife conservation,
closed season for fishing, halts on mining activities and many environmental
sanitary laws, Ghana is catching up on recovering her biodiversity.

Pollution
When undesirable substances (referred to as pollutants) are introduced into
the environment and results in changing the natural state of the land, water
and/or air, then it is termed as pollution. Pollution can be grouped into three
on the effect it causes; this refers to land pollution, air pollution and water
pollution respectively; collectively, environmental pollution. Below is a picture
showing a polluted community as commonly seen in slum areas. Recently,
noise has also been noted to contribute to environmental pollution.
Noise Pollution
Noise Pollution occurs when loud noise from industries, aircrafts, road traffics
and sound systems are too high and frequent. This can cause people to suffer
hearing impairment when exposed to noise for a long period. On this do
specialists advise building settings like factories, industries, night clubs,
musical concerts etc. at the outskirts of towns. This ensures minimal noise
within and around residential areas. Regulatory bodies have the mandate to
sanction people who make noise in and around the world though in Africa,
there exist some loopholes that governmental bodies are finding ways for full
implementation. Layout of settlements is a core factor to the inability of
enforcing the law in Ghana. Areas like the slums and urban centers are open
to noise pollution due to bad layout.

Land Pollution
Over the years, land degradation has become a serious problem facing
Ghana, Africa and the world at large. Temporary or permanent clearance of
forests for agriculture, construction and other uses is a major threat to the
ecosystem. Human appetite for modern infrastructure and social amenities
keeps declining forest reserves. Successive governments engage in
deforestation by clearing lands to make way for agriculture expansion, road
construction and tree logs harvest for internal use and export. Ordinarily, this
generates revenue, brings development and sustains livelihood. However,
when land degradation is not controlled, it no longer makes valuable
contributions to the human environment. Soil erosion, soil infertility and
habitat destruction are some adverse effects. Soil erosion increases
sedimentation within waterways affecting aquatic life. It further causes mud
flows that endanger human properties. Rill erosion reduces production of
hydroelectric power which humans depend on for electricity to supply light
and water due to silts that builds up behind dams. In drier areas,
deforestation can lead to formation of deserts, relocation and loss of species,
and even extinction of some important ecological species. Ghana as a tropical
region, has witnessed high range of deforestation as result of rapid population
growth and as a result, we need more space to avail food, shelter and capital
to thrive as a people and nation. This notwithstanding, practical measures
ought to be taken to impact a strong need for biodiversity and conservation.
Perennial flooding for example, has been a worrisome occurrence that calls
for immediate intervention programmes to maintain our community. Harmful
chemicals amongst others released into air end up settling on the ground
hence polluting the land. The toxic materials, once directly deposited on land
linger in the soil and work their way up the food chain. On basis of this, can
we say land pollution leads to contamination of food harvest or supplies. Land
pollution (or degradation) poses a threat to plant and animal life. Last but not
least, nuclear waste and plastic litters which are not properly disposed can
stay in the environment and cause a serious health problem as these do not
decay easily. Plastics can be recycled and reused as it even helps reduce the
amount of waste generated in the environment. When the land is polluted, it
directly affects water the most.

Water Pollution
Pure water consists of a chemical composition of the two gases; oxygen and
hydrogen in the proportion of two volumes of hydrogen to one of oxygen.
Good drinking water is clear liquid, colourless and without taste or smell, free
from disease producing organisms and other harmful matter whether
chemical or organic substances and reasonably soft; i.e., it should be devoid
of mineral salts and lather easily with soap. There are three main sources of
water supply. These are rainwater, surface water and underground water.
Rainwater; this includes the mist, fog, showers and rainfall. The containers
used to collect rainwater should be constructed of galvanized iron to prevent
corrosion of the container hence contaminating the water. Again, during the
dry season, the roofs are normally foul with dust and other filth hence the rain
water should not be allowed to pass into the storage tank until the surface of
the roof has been washed clean. Surface water; also known as upland water is
basically referring to lakes, ponds, pools, oasis, streams and rivers. Many
people rely greatly on these for their water supply. Water from these sources
is not reliable both in quantity and quality. The reason being that, they are
easily exposed to contamination from the outside because animals drink from
them. They are mostly low if not dry during the dry season. The water from
this source should always be strained before drinking or even boiled in order
to get rid of as many impurities as possible. Farmers use this water for
agricultural purpose. It should not be used to wash vegetables that are to be
eaten raw unless the water is first boiled. Underground water includes all
forms of well and springs. Wells and springs are considered as underground
water and are usually harder than the surface one due to the minerals that
dissolved in it during it passage through the soil. The original source of this
water is the rainfall. When it rains some of the water infiltrate into the ground
until it arrives at a layer of rocks through which it cannot pass which then
forms as underground water. It is here where aquifers and boreholes are
drilled to pump out water. Underground water is actually the purest form of
water comparing to all other natural sources. Water is said to be polluted
when there are impurities in the water. Although the impurities in water are
many, they can be put under two groups: organic substances and inorganic
substances. The organics include excreta, dust, leaves and vegetables that
contaminate water. These contaminants get into the water by the aid of
agents such as wind, rain, improper dumping of refuse, defaecating and
bathing in the water, and rivers over flowing their banks. Minerals are
inorganics that may pollute the water from; its source: minerals might have
been collected along the route of the river or the river might have passed
through many layers of strata in the ground which contain mineral salts
before coming out as a spring, stream or river; waste products of Industries:
these come from mines and factories and other places where all the
chemicals are washed and drained into the river. Water is normally
contaminated at the site of fetching the water, storage facilities and domestic
places. The catchment area of the water source when near factories could
have their chemicals and wastes washed into the water body to contaminate
it. Animals drinking from the water source may render it polluted. The use of
such water should be well treated and purified before consumption. The use
of dirty and ungalvanized receptacles in storing of the water could
contaminate the water. If possible, the storage facility should be made of clay,
plastic or galvanized in order to prevent rusting. The water should be stored
for a short period before using since long storage can encourage the growth
of pathogenic bacteria. At homes, when people use dirty or contaminated
cups, calabashes, and/or bowls for fetching the water, the water becomes
impure. Children should also be discouraged from dipping their dirty hands
into the water in an attempt to fetch some as this promotes water pollution.
Water is responsible for a number of illnesses. Inorganic toxins like lead
identified in water bodies around galamsey sites and lead-lined tanks/pipes
causes cancer when consumed. Most of the eggs of common parasites are
normally in water and when such contaminated water is drunk, one contracts
diseases like snail fever, typhoid fever, cholera, and dysentery. Other
parasitic diseases are Ascariasis, Taeniasis, Cysticercosis, Dracunculiasis,
Fascioliasis, Balantidiasis and Schistosomiasis. As a control and preventive
method, boiling, domestic filters or chemicals like chlorine, alum etc. can be
used for domestic purification of water. For commercial purposes, water
needs to pass through a series of stages which are in consonance with the
natural purification processes.

Air Pollution

This involves the introduction of pollutants into the atmosphere which alters
the natural composition of the air. These pollutants are suspended in the air.
Examples of some air pollutants are particulate matter, smoke, metals, dust,
lead, gases such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide,
ozone and volatile organic compounds. Natural occurrences like volcanoes,
storm, hurricanes and cyclones contribute to air pollution however most of the
causal agents is artificial (caused by man). For instance, fumes containing CO,
SO2, NO2 and O3 introduced into the air from exhaust pipes of vehicles,
machines and industries pollutes about 50% of the air. Air pollution can be
divided into two; i.e., Indoor Air Pollution and Outdoor or Ambient Air
Pollution. Air pollution especially outdoor pollution is an everyday issue, in
fact, it is the leading environmental health risk in Ghana, Africa and the world
at large. An estimate of 3 million deaths is recorded every year resulting from
exposure to outdoor air pollution while 4.3 million deaths is estimated every
year as a result of household exposure to smoke from dirty cooking stoves
and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) from household gadgets. Generally, outdoor
and indoor air pollution cause about 6.5 million premature deaths every year.
The sources of impurities in the atmospheric air include wildfires, fuel
combustion, decomposition, dust, industrial pollutants, respiration and
radiation. Fires and lamps need oxygen for burning. In the burning process,
they give off carbon dioxide and water vapour. In the complete combustion,
carbon dioxide, water vapour and sulphur dioxide are given off. In the
incomplete combustion, coal, fog, and smoke are produced which attack
buildings and cause irritation of eyes, throat and lungs thus making the entry
of germs easy. Decomposition is the digestion or breaking down of organic
and inorganic matter. Decayed animals and vegetable matter can also pollute
the atmospheric air, causing unpleasant odour. Dusts of various forms pollute
the atmospheric air in various quantities. Dust consists of small particles of
animals and vegetable matter, soot, etc. These are deposited on walls and
converted by heat to carbon dioxide which pollutes the air. Industries, where
machinery is used and the air is vitiated by smoke or by exhaust gases. The
exhaust of car engines emits the poisonous gas carbon monoxide. Offensive
trades like soap-making and hide-dying also mar the air hence emitting foul
smell. Presently, radiation is the most threatening source of pollution of the
air. They can be put under two groups: natural radiations; the greatest source
of radiation from the natural source is the sun. however, the ozone layer
which is more than half of a kilometre in depth protects the earth from these
deadly radiations from the sun. This layer is at risk from nitrogen oxides given
off by jet engines and also aerosol gases in the atmosphere. This has resulted
in the depletion of the protective layer paving way for strong radiations like
ultraviolet rays to penetrate its surface and thus risking our public health.
Artificial Radiations is the second group; first source come from radiotherapy
where radioactive isotopes are used mostly in medicine for diagnosis and
treatment of diseases as well as for research purposes. Another important
artificial form of radiation comes from radioactive wastes in the
manufacturing of radioactive weapons and instruments especially in the
advanced countries. Air pollution is the main cause of acid rain, greenhouse
effect and global warming. Other effects of air pollution are reduction in the
synthesis of Vitamin D by the sun, rise in temperature, cancer of the lung,
psoriasis, upper respiratory tract infections like catarrh, cough or cold and
symptoms like headache, eye irritations, dizziness etc. According to WHO
guideline, the quality of air ranges from 5µg/m 3 to 10µg/m3. Anything
exceeding 10µg/m3 raises concerns on our health since air turns hazardous
beyond this limit. As control or preventive methods, some of the practices to
adopt that can help curb air pollution include; avoiding burning waste
materials on premises. Vehicle owners should be encouraged to use catalytic
converters in their car to treat the soot that comes out of their exhaust and
vehicles that emit offensive gases should be prevented from use. Use of gas
and other smokeless appliances should be encouraged in homes. Industries
should be sited far away from human settlements. Chimneys of industries
should be structured to keep back dust. Industries should be encouraged to
treat their gases before releasing them into the atmosphere. Planting trees
around houses should be encouraged. Access to clean household fuels and
technologies. Improved waste management and strict enforcement of laws
and sanctions.
Greenhouse effect and Global warming

Greenhouse effect is the process that occurs when energy from the sun and
other stars diffuse through a planet’s atmosphere such as the Earth and heats
its surface. Naturally, some of the light rays from the sun that hits a planet
gets reflected back into space and the rest becomes heat. Ozone, carbon
dioxide, water vapour, methane and other greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere prevent this heat from returning directly to space. They trap,
absorb and retain the heat radiation in the atmosphere to warm up the Earth.
Consequences of the greenhouse effect include; flooding of islands and
coastal cities, migration of species, desertification of fertile lands and
destruction of agriculture and livestock. Ordinarily, greenhouse effect makes
a planet like Earth a comfortable place to live. It provides warmth to sustain
life however, bad human practices like fuel combustion, release of CFCs into
air, bush burning amongst others increases these heat-trapping gases which
in turn, increases the level of warmth produced above normal. This makes the
Earth a bit unfavourable to live and gradually retards the Earth’s
sustainability. Global warming is the long-term heating of the earth’s surface
due to rise in greenhouse gases caused by human activities that negatively
affects climate.

Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM)

According to the widely accepted definition by the Global Water Partnership,
IWRM refers to the process that promotes the co-ordinated development and
management of water, land and related resources, in order to maximize the
resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without
compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems. Water is key to
socioeconomic development having the basic function of maintaining the
integrity of our natural environment. Demographic and climatic changes put
stress on water resources therefore a more holistic approach than the old
traditional approach needs to be taken for effective management of the
world’s limited water resources. There exists a great difference in water
availability from region to region, from extremes of deserts to tropical forests.
In many regions, water availability is severely impacted by climatic conditions
which affects the quantity and/or quality of water. Also, water demand is high
where the population growth is rapid just as agriculture/industrial expansion,
and urbanization increases water demand too. Developed countries have at
their disposal infrastructure through policies, strategies and interventions that
assures reliable water supply and reduce risks however at high cost and often
with negative impacts on the environment, human health and livelihoods.
Even so, under-developed countries like Ghana are also implementing
measures for waste-water treatment, water recycling and demand
management to counter the challenges of inadequate water supply. Water
pollution is a major problem affecting water availability needed to maintain
natural ecosystems.

Section review or conclusion

Dear learner, having gone through the above thoroughly and noted the
important points down, reflect on the core points of this section before we
proceed to section 2 of this course. Guide listed below;
 Natural Resources; what they are and some examples
 Renewable and Non-renewal Natural Resources; compare and contrast
 Ecosystem approach to Natural Resource Management; explain with
illustrations
 Conservation methods; explain ways of preserving natural resources
 Human activities that bring about undesirable change in the natural
environment
 Environmental pollution, including land degradation, air pollution, water
pollution and noise/sound pollution, as well as their causes and effects.
 Human activities promoting pollution and possible ways/means of
controlling them.
 Describe the Integrated Water Resources Management and explain how it
can reduce undesirable change in the natural environment.
 Describe terms like Greenhouse Effect, Global warming, Deforestation,
Mining, Oil Spillage
TRIAL TEST SAMPLE
OBJECTIVES
1. Select the odd one out.
a. Coal
b. Soil
c. Water
d. Wildlife
2. Which of the following is an inexhaustible resource?
a. Air
b. Fauna
c. Flora
d. Gold
3. One of the following is usually in a fixed supply that does not easily
regenerate.
a. Animals
b. Forest
c. Petroleum
d. Water
4. Which of these is an inorganic natural resource?
a. Animals
b. Fossil fuels
c. Plants
d. Water
5. Which of the following is a renewable resource?
a. Coal
b. Fuel
c. Logs
d. Trees
6. Which of the following is considered as conventional, inexhaustible
source of energy?
a. Hydropower
b. Solar energy
c. Thermal energy
d. Wind energy
7. All of the following are renewable resources except:
a. Biological species
b. Rainfall
c. Soil fertility
d. Wildlife
8. Which of these are considered as Fossil fuels?
a. Coal and metals
b. Coal, natural gas and oil
c. Oil and minerals
d. Oil, minerals and metals
9. Which of the following resource is inexhaustible?
a. Coal
b. Ocean
c. Oil
d. Petroleum
10. All of the following can be produced from oil except:
a. Diamond
b. Diesel
c. Gasoline
d. LPG
11. Energy resources that are in limited quantity and exhaust in time
can also be referred to as:
a. Conventional energy
b. Exhaustible energy
c. Both a and c
d. Neither a nor c
12. Energy that is trapped in the form of organic matter is
called………………..
a. Bioenergy
b. Biomass
c. Inorganics
d. Minerals
13. Which of these can be used to generate electricity?
a. Fossil Fuel
b. Nuclear energy
c. Tidal waves
d. All of the above
14. Which of the following is not a factor that disrupts nature?
a. Bush burning
b. Deforestation
c. Overgrazing
d. Reforestation
15. The usage of products like ………………………pollutes the
environment.
a. DDT
b. Lead
c. CFCs
d. All

16. Burning of fossil fuels add……………………………… gases in air.

a. C, SO2, and N2
 b. CH4, CO2, and NO2
c. CO, SO3, and NO3
d. CO2, SO2, and NO2
17. Life cannot sustain on planets like Mars and Venus because major
component in their atmosphere is:
a. Carbon dioxide
b. Nitrogen
c. Oxygen
d. Ozone
18. What pollution leads to hearing loss?
a. Air pollution
b. Land pollution
c. Noise pollution
d. Water pollution
19. Which of the following contributes to making life possible on Earth?
a. Greenhouse gases
b. Infrared radiation
c. Sunlight
d. Water
20. What is the life supporting zone of the Earth?
a. Atmosphere
b. Biosphere
c. Hydrosphere
d. Lithosphere

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THEORY & ANSWERS

1. What is a resource?
Resource is anything needed by an organism to satisfy their
physiological needs and sustain life.

2. Mention any five (5) natural resources you know.

a. Gold
b. Crude oil
c. Plants
d. Water
e. Sunlight

3. Distinguish between exhaustible natural resources and inexhaustible

natural resources.
Exhaustible natural resources are the resources present in limited
quantity and can be completely used up by man. E.g., petroleum
Inexhaustible resources are resources that are unlimited and cannot be
completely used up by man. E.g., air

4. What activities of man disrupts the environment. State any three (3).
a. Deforestation
 b. Overexploitation of minerals
c. Poaching

5. What is Natural Resource Management?

Natural Resource Management refer to a defined knowledge of
integrated processes that ensures good management of resources
used to operate an ecosystem and specifies any activity that will
impact biodiversity and conservation, their underlying causes as well
as the extent to which the ecosystem can withstand and recover from
disruption. This helps maintain ecological diversity.