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Natural resource Natural resources occur naturally within environments
that exist relatively undisturbed by humanity, in a natural form. A natural resource is
often characterized by amounts of biodiversity and geodiversity existent in various ecosystems.
Natural resources are derived from the environment. Some of them are essential for our survival
while most are used for satisfying our wants. Natural resources may be further classified
in different ways. Natural resources are materials and components
(something that can be used) that can be found within the environment. Every man-made product
is composed of natural resources (at its fundamental level). A natural resource may exist as a
separate entity such as fresh water, and air, as well as a living organism such as a fish,
or it may exist in an alternate form which must be processed to obtain the resource such
as metal ores, oil, and most forms of energy. There is much debate worldwide over natural
resource allocations, this is partly due to increasing scarcity (depletion of resources)
but also because the exportation of natural resources is the basis for many economies
(particularly for developed nations such as Australia).
Some natural resources such as sunlight and air can be found everywhere, and are known
as ubiquitous resources. However, most resources only occur in small sporadic areas, and are
referred to as localized resources. There are very few resources that are considered
inexhaustible (will not run out in foreseeable future) – these are solar radiation, geothermal
energy, and air (though access to clean air may not be). The vast majority of resources
are exhaustible, which means they have a finite quantity, and can be depleted if managed improperly.
Classification There are various methods of categorizing
natural resources, these include source of origin, stage of development, and by their
renewability. These classifications are described below. On the basis of origin, resources may
be divided into: Biotic – Biotic resources are obtained from
the biosphere (living and organic material), such as forests and animals, and the materials
that can be obtained from them. Fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum are also included
in this category because they are formed from decayed organic matter.
Abiotic – Abiotic resources are those that come from non-living, non-organic material.
Examples of abiotic resources include land, fresh water, air and heavy metals including
ores such as gold, iron, copper, silver, etc. Considering their stage of development, natural
resources may be referred to in the following ways:
Potential resources – Potential resources are those that exist in a region and may be
used in the future. For example petroleum occurs with sedimentary rocks in various regions,
but until the time it is actually drilled out and put into use, it remains a potential
resource. Actual resources – Actual resources are
those that have been surveyed, their quantity and quality determined and are being used
in present times. The development of an actual resource, such as wood processing depends
upon the technology available and the cost involved.
Reserve resources – The part of an actual resource which can be developed profitably
in the future is called a reserve resource. Stock resources – Stock resources are those
that have been surveyed but cannot be used by organisms due to lack of technology. For
example: hydrogen. Renewability is a very popular topic and many
natural resources can be categorized as either renewable or non-renewable:
Renewable resources – Renewable resources can be replenished naturally. Some of these
resources, like sunlight, air, wind, etc., are continuously available and their quantity
is not noticeably affected by human consumption. Though many renewable resources do not have
such a rapid recovery rate, these resources are susceptible to depletion by over-use.
Resources from a human use perspective are classified as renewable only so long as the
rate of replenishment/recovery exceeds that of the rate of consumption.
Non-renewable resources – Non-renewable resources either form slowly or do not naturally
form in the environment. Minerals are the most common resource included in this category.
By the human perspective, resources are non-renewable when their rate of consumption exceeds the
rate of replenishment/recovery; a good example of this are fossil fuels, which are in this
category because their rate of formation is extremely slow (potentially millions of years),
meaning they are considered non-renewable. Some resources actually naturally deplete
in amount without human interference, the most notable of these being radio-active elements
such as uranium, which naturally decay into heavy metals. Of these, the metallic minerals
can be re-used by recycling them, but coal and petroleum cannot be recycled.
Extraction Resource extraction involves any activity
that withdraws resources from nature. This can range in scale from the traditional use
of preindustrial societies, to global industry. Extractive industries are, along with agriculture,
the basis of the primary sector of the economy. Extraction produces raw material which is
then processed to add value. Examples of extractive industries are hunting, trapping, mining,
oil and gas drilling, and forestry. Natural resources can add substantial amounts to a
country's wealth, however a sudden inflow of money caused by a resource boom can create
social problems including inflation harming other industries ("Dutch disease") and corruption,
leading to inequality and underdevelopment, this is known as the "resource curse".
Extractive industries represent a large growing activity in many less-developed countries
but the wealth generated does not always lead to sustainable and inclusive growth. Extractive
industry businesses often are assumed to be interested only in maximizing their short-term
value, implying that less-developed countries are vulnerable to powerful corporations. Alternatively,
host governments are often assumed to be only maximizing immediate revenue. Researchers
argue there are areas of common interest where development goals and business cross. These
present opportunities for international governmental agencies to engage with the private sector
and host governments through revenue management and expenditure accountability, infrastructure
development, employment creation, skills and enterprise development and impacts on children,
especially girls and women. Depletion
In recent years, the depletion of natural resources has become a major focus of governments
and organizations such as the United Nations (UN). This is evident in the UN's Agenda 21
Section Two, which outlines the necessary steps to be taken by countries to sustain
their natural resources. The depletion of natural resources is considered to be a sustainable
development issue. The term sustainable development has many interpretations, most notably the
Brundtland Commission's 'to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs', however in broad terms it
is balancing the needs of the planet's people and species now and in the future. In regards
to natural resources, depletion is of concern for sustainable development as it has the
ability to degrade current environments and potential to impact the needs of future generations.
Depletion of natural resources is associated with social inequity. Considering most biodiversity
are located in developing countries, depletion of this resource could result in losses of
ecosystem services for these countries. Some view this depletion as a major source of social
unrest and conflicts in developing nations. At present, with it being the year of the
forest, there is particular concern for rainforest regions which hold most of the Earth's biodiversity.
According to Nelson deforestation and degradation affect 8.5% of the world's forests with 30%
of the Earth's surface already cropped. If we consider that 80% of people rely on medicines
obtained from plants and ¾ of the world's prescription medicines have ingredients taken
from plants, loss of the world's rainforests could result in a loss of finding more potential
life saving medicines. The depletion of natural resources is caused
by 'direct drivers of change' such as Mining, petroleum extraction, fishing and forestry
as well as 'indirect drivers of change' such as demography, economy, society, politics
and technology. The current practice of Agriculture is another factor causing depletion of natural
resources. For example the depletion of nutrients in the soil due to excessive use of nitrogen
and desertification The depletion of natural resources is a continuing concern for society.
This is seen in the cited quote given by Theodore Roosevelt, a well-known conservationist and
former United States president, was opposed to unregulated natural resource extraction.
Protection In 1982 the UN developed the World Charter
for Nature in which it recognised the need to protect nature from further depletion due
to human activity. They state the measures needed to be taken at all societal levels,
from international right down to individual, to protect nature. They outline the need for
sustainable use of natural resources and suggest that the protection of resources should be
incorporated into the law system at state and international level. To look at the importance
of protecting natural resources further. The World Ethic of Sustainability, developed by
the IUCN, WWF and the UNEP in 1990 which set out eight values for sustainability, include
the need to protect natural resources from depletion. Since these documents, there have
been many measures taken to protect natural resources, some of these ways include Conservation
biology and Habitat Conservation. Conservation biology is the scientific study
of the nature and status of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their
habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction. It is an interdisciplinary
subject drawing on sciences, economics, and the practice of natural resource management.
The term conservation biology was introduced as the title of a conference held University
of California at San Diego in La Jolla, California in 1978 organized by biologists Bruce Wilcox
and Michael Soulé. Habitat conservation is a land management
practice that seeks to conserve, protect and restore, habitat areas for wild plants and
animals, especially conservation reliant species, and prevent their extinction, fragmentation
or reduction in range. Management
Natural resource management is a discipline in 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.
Management of natural resources involves identifying who has the right to use the resources and
who does not for defining the boundaries of the resource. The resources are managed by
the users according to the rules governing of when and how the resource is used depending
on local condition. A successful management of natural resources
should engage the community because of the nature of the shared resources the individuals
who are affected by the rules can participate in setting or changing them. The users have
the rights to device their own management institutions and plans under the recognition
by the government. The right to resources includes land, water, fisheries and pastoral
rights. The users or parties accountable to the users have to actively monitor and ensure
the utilisation of the resource compliance with the rules and to impose penalty on those
peoples who violates the rules. These conflicts are resolved in a quick and low cost manner
by the local institution according to the seriousness and context of the offence. The
global science-based platform to discuss natural resources management is the World Resources
Forum, based in Switzerland.