Restoration and Regeneration
Nature functions on a principle of restoration.
- Restoration: Returning something to its original healthy state after damage (e.g., a cut on skin healing).
- Regeneration: Creating new life and conditions for thriving (e.g., a forest growing back after a fire).
Tip
Nature’s Cycle: In a forest, there is no waste. A fallen tree decomposes, feeding bacteria and fungi, enriching the soil, which in turn nurtures new seeds. This is a perfect closed loop.
1. Renewable Resources
Resources that can renew themselves over time through natural processes.
- Examples: Solar energy, wind, water (replenished by rain/glaciers), forests (if allowed to regrow).
The Critical Condition: Renewable resources remain renewable only if the rate of harvest does not exceed the rate of regeneration.
- Threat: If we cut trees faster than they grow, forests become a non-renewable resource effectively.
- Impact: Climate change and deforestation are disturbing these natural cycles (e.g., Himalayan glaciers melting faster than snowfall can replace them).
2. Non-Renewable Resources
Resources created over millions of years that cannot be replenished within a human timeframe.
- Examples: Fossil fuels (coal, petroleum), minerals (iron, copper, gold).
- Status in India: India has significant coal reserves, but at current consumption rates, they may only last another 50 years.
Warning
Resource Exhaustion: Since non-renewables are finite, they must be used judiciously to stretch their availability for future generations while we transition to sustainable alternatives.
Ecosystem Functions vs. Services
- Ecosystem Functions: Natural workings of nature (e.g., a forest filtering water, preventing soil erosion).
- Ecosystem Services: When these functions benefit humans (e.g., receiving clean drinking water, pollinated crops).