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SAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, BHUBANESWAR.

Class VIII: SOCIAL STUDIES – GEOGRAPHY

CHAPTER - 2- LAND, SOIL, WATER, NATURAL VEGETATION AND
WILDLIFE RESOURCES

(VIRTUAL CLASSES)

NOTES FOR CHAPTER-2- Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources

SUBTOPIC- Conservation of Land Resources and Land slides
 The availability of land is limited but the demand for land by the people is growing.
 Due to the cultural changes in our society there are vast changes in the land use pattern.
 Extensive use of fertile land, without careful utilization, lead to the barrenness of that land.
 The over exploitation of mineral resources can make the soil vulnerable to degradation.
 Due to the expansion of agriculture and construction activities, the major threats to the
environment are: -
 Deforestation- to clear land of forests for construction or other use.
 Land degradation
 Overgrazing and overuse of chemical fertilisers and pesticides in agricultural practices.
 Rain wash and floods are capable of soil erosion.
 Soil erosion by wind, water or ice and affects the quality and fertility of the soil as the
nutrients in soil are removed and are not replaced.
 Desertification due to removal of natural vegetation cover.
 Landslides

The common methods used to conserve land resources are: -
 Afforestation- is the process of planting trees, or sowing seeds, in a barren land devoid of any trees to
create a forest.
 Land reclamation is the gain of land from the sea, or wetlands, or other water bodies, and restoration of
productivity of the land that have been degraded by human activities like mining, through drainage,
irrigation, industrial and urban processes or impaired by natural phenomena such as erosion.
 regulated use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers and checks on overgrazing.
 The government plays an active role- (a) by making rules related to soil and land conservation.
(b) Educating farmers about the negative aspects of overuse of fertilizers and overgrazing.

Landslides
 is when rock, debris or loose earth move down a slope in a huge mass.
 Occurs due to earthquakes, floods and volcanic eruptions; prolonged spell of rain.
Mitigation Mechanisms for landslides: (Mitigation mechanism is a systematic application of
technology in order to check the advancing of any undesirable natural or human triggered event.)

 Hazard mapping to locate areas prone to landslides as such areas can be avoided for building
settlements.
 Construction of retention wall to stop land from slipping.
 Increase in the vegetation cover is an effective way to arrest landslide.
 The surface drainage control works are implemented to control the movement of landslide along with
rain water and spring flows.

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