Natural resource management refers to the management of natural resources such as land, water, soil, plants and animals, with a particular focus on how management affects the quality of life for both present and future generations
Natural resource management deals with managing the way in which people and natural landscapes interact. It brings together land use planning, water management, biodiversity conservation, and the future sustainability of industries like agriculture, mining, tourism, fisheries and forestry. It recognizes that people and their livelihoods rely on the health and productivity of our landscapes, and their actions as stewards of the land play a critical role in maintaining this health and productivity. Natural resource management specifically focuses on a scientific and technical understanding of resources and ecology and the life-supporting capacity of those resources.
Natural resource management is an interdisciplinary field of study that considers the physical, biological, economic and social aspects of handling natural resources. It involves putting resources to their best use for human purposes in addition to preserving natural systems.
Resources form the backbone of the economy of a nation. Without land, water, forest, air, mineral one cannot develop agriculture and industry. They constitute natural environment like air, water, forests and various life forms, which are essential for human survival and development.
Degradation and erosion of natural resources, namely, land, water, forest, biodiversity (plant, animal and microbial genetic resource s), livestock and fisheries along with air and sunlight – those parts of the natural world that are used to produce food and other valued goods and services and which are essential for our survival and prosperity, are one of the root causes of the agrarian crisis in the country. No current or intended use of natural resources should condemn our children to endless toil or deprivation.
In India, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi through its Natural Resource Management Division is responsible for conducting basic and strategic researches to develop technologies for conservation, management and sustainable utilization of the natural resources ensuring food, nutritional and environmental security in the country through 16 research institutes, 10 All India Coordinated Research Projects, 3 network projects and 2 Consortia Research Platforms namely on Water and Conservation Agriculture with a wide network of the Cooperating Centres and State Agricultural Universities.
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