<span>The Indian villages much more than its towns and cities depend directly or indirectly on the earth s natural resources. The Indian rural sector has high population density and high level of poverty which turns out to be a serious threat to the environment. The village ecosystem On account of its distinctive features villages in India can be considered as an ecosystem. The village ecosystem depends for its functioning on the major bio-productive systems such as agricultural lands grasslands forest and wetland which together form important physical resource base. The practice of using non-renewable energy is very low in Indian villages. Agriculture is mostly based on human and animal labour instead of oil and electricity. Tractor is used in some areas for tilling the land. Human and animal power is even used for lifting ground water. Local energy sources such as biogas solar energy firewood and dung are mainly used for cooking. Earlier these practices didn t cause much damage to the environment. But today rapidly increasing population and greater volumes of trade have led to the introduction of environmentally-damaging products like plastics and chemical pesticides. These are having an adverse impact on the environment. Lack of education and awareness is also contributing to the problem.</span>
