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| Introduction |
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| The Environment is everything which surrounds an organism and influences its life in many ways. It includes physical and biological components. The physical components of the environment are soil, water, air, light and temperature. These are termed as abiotic components. The plants and animals are collectively referred to as biotic components. All these components of the environment work together, interact and modify the effect of one another. |
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| The basic needs of life are fulfilled by materials present in the nature. They are air, water, soil, minerals, coal, petroleum, animals and plants. These are referred to as natural resources. Everyday, people manipulate various natural resources to satisfy their needs. Destruction of forests to cultivate agricultural crops reduced the forest area hence, upsetting the ecological balance. |
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| Early man used only those resources that supported their own life. They inhabited caves, drank rain water, consumed roots, fruits, stems, leaves and flowers obtained from wild plants of forests, made his tools from stones, bones, horns etc., from which he hunted animals to get his food, horns or bones for the tool making, skin to protect the body and feathers and teeth for his ornamentation or decoration. |
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| Growing population, agriculture, industrialization and urbanization have put great pressure on mankind to overuse the natural resources. |
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