Community-owned resource
Topic: Natural Resources: Classification, Planning and Sustainable Use · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 1 "Resources and Development"
Meaning
A community-owned resource is open to every member of a community, not to just one person. Examples are grazing grounds, burial grounds, village ponds, public parks, playgrounds and picnic spots. NCERT classifies resources by ownership into four groups: individual, community-owned, national and international. These shared resources can be overused if nobody controls them. Communities with clear rules can look after them well.
Example
The orans of Rajasthan, in north-west India, are sacred groves and pastures shared by a whole village. Villagers graze animals and collect wood there under customary rules. This keeps the land from being stripped bare.
Don't confuse with
- Individual resource: owned privately by one person, such as a farm, a house or a well.
- National resource: belongs to the country as a whole, such as minerals, forests and the sea up to 12 nautical miles.