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Any matter or energy derived from the environment (nature) that is used by living things including humans is called a natural resource. Resources are the basis for the development of any country. India, one of the largest countries in the world, is blessed with diverse and abundant resources. Only a judicious use of resources will help the development of a country. Over exploitation and unscientific land-use practices will lead to environmental problems and to resource depletion. Natural resources include air, water, soil, minerals, fossil fuels, plants and wild life. Many of these natural resources are essential for human survival;
e.g. air, water, and plants. Others are used for satisfying other material needs and desires.
Natural resources have been classified in many ways. One way is to classify them on the basis of the source of their origin. Accordingly, there arc land, soil, water, plant, animal, mineral, and energy resources.
Another method of classification is according to the stage of development of a resource. Those resources which are found in the region, but have not been put to proper use are called Potential resources. For example, the state of Assam and the Brahmaputra River have a vast potential of water resources, but all of them have not yet been determined and utilized, fully. The resources which have been surveyed and quantified for actual use are called Actual resources. The development of the actual resource depends on the technology available and the cost involved. That portion of the actual resource which can be developed profitably with available technology is termed a Reserve resource. For example, an increase in the world price of metal such as iron makes it profitable to utilise even low grade ore, thus turning a resource into a reserve. Natural resources may also be classified as renewable and non-renewable resources. The main characteristics of these resources are given below:
Renewable Resources: Resources which get renewed or replenished fast, are called renewable resources. Some of these resources are always available (continuous) and do not get affected by human activities; e.g., solar and wind energy. Many resources, on the other hand, get depleted after use. These may, however, be replenished without endangering future use, provided that the rate of consumption does not exceed the rate of renewal or replenishment. Hence, they maintain a flow. Some resources like crops take short time for renewal. Others like water can be renewed in a comparatively longer time. Some other resources like forests take even longer.
Non-renewable Resources: Non-renewable resources are built over a long geological time span. Minerals and fossil fuels are the examples of non-renewable resources. Since the rate of their formation is extremely slow, they can not be replenished within a time frame meaningful to human-beings. Though these resources are normally found in large quantities, they are distributed most unevenly. Their economic use is viable only when they are found in sufficiently large concentrations and are extractable. Some of these resources like gold, silver and iron are recyclable in nature. It means that the metal content obtained from the ore may be used again and again after necessary processing. Fossil fuels such as coal, mineral oil and natural gas get exhausted. Hence, they are non-recyclable.