Which of the following are the components of ecological footprint?
A. Forest
B. Fishing grounds
C. Grazing land
D. Cropland
E. Built-up land
Choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:

Correct option is C

Introduction

The ecological footprint measures human demand on nature by summing the biologically productive land and water areas needed to supply resources and absorb wastes.

It is expressed in global hectares across several distinct land and water categories.

Information Booster

The correct answer are recognised components of the ecological footprint.

The Global Footprint Network defines the ecological footprint using six biologically productive area types, and every item listed here is one of them, each converted into a common unit of global hectares (gha) weighted by productivity:

A. Forest land — accounts for the demand for timber, fuelwood, pulp, and other wood products, and critically also serves as the carbon footprint component, representing the forest area required to sequester anthropogenic CO₂ emissions.

This carbon-uptake role makes forest land the single largest contributor to the footprint of most industrialised nations.

B. Fishing grounds — the marine and inland freshwater area needed to sustain the fish, shellfish, and other aquatic products harvested for human use, calculated from the primary production required to support the catch.

C. Grazing land — the pasture and rangeland area required to raise livestock for meat, dairy, hides, leather, and wool, reflecting demand that cannot be met by cropland-based feed alone.

D. Cropland — the most bioproductive category, covering the land used to grow food crops, fibre (such as cotton), oilseeds, and feed for both humans and animals; it generally has the highest yield per hectare.

E. Built-up (settlement) land — the area occupied by human infrastructure including housing, roads, industry, and reservoirs for hydropower, which permanently displaces otherwise bioproductive land.
Together these categories capture the full spectrum of human demand on the biosphere — from food, fibre, and timber to carbon absorption and physical settlement.

The footprint is then compared against biocapacity (the planet's or a region's available productive area) to determine whether a population is running an ecological deficit or reserve.