Natural Resources

Introduction
• Natural resources are materials from the Earth that are used to support life
and meet people’s needs. Any natural substance that humans use can be
considered a natural resource. Some examples of natural resources are air,
water, wood, oil, coal, iron etc.
Classification Of Natural Resources
There are various criteria of classifying natural resources. These include the
source of origin, stages of development, renewability and ownership.
• On the basis of origin:
• Biotic Resources: A type of natural resources derived from the biosphere as
against abiotic resource from non-living things. Examples of biotic resources
are forests, animals, birds, fish, and marine organisms.
• Abiotic Resources: Abiotic resources are resources that are non living.
These resources fall under the larger category of natural resources, which
occur naturally within the environment and aren’t created or produced by
humans or act. Examples of abiotic factors include sunlight, water, air,
minerals, etc.
• On the basis of stage of development:
• Potential resources: Resources that are known to exist, but have not been
utilized yet. These may be used in the future. Examples: mineral oil, uranium,
paper, etc.
• Actual resources: Resources that have been surveyed, quantified and
qualified, and are currently used in development. Examples: coal, water,
fossil fuels, etc.
• Reserves: The part of an actual resource that can be developed profitably in
the future.
• Stocks: Resources that have been surveyed, but cannot be used due to lack
of technology.
• On the basis of renewability/exhaustibility:
• Renewable resources: These resources can be replenished naturally. Some of
these resources, like solar energy, air, wind, water, etc. are continuously available
and their quantities are not noticeably affected by human consumption.
• Non-renewable resources: These resources are formed over a long geological
time period in the environment and cannot be renewed easily. Minerals are the
most common resource included in this category.
• On the basis of Ownership:
• Individual resources: Resources owned privately by individuals. These include
plots, houses, plantations, pastures, ponds, etc.
• Community resources: Resources which are accessible to all the members of a
community. E.g.: Cemeteries
• National resources: Resources that belong to the nation. The nation has legal
powers to acquire them for public welfare. These also include minerals, forests and
wildlife within the political boundaries and Exclusive economic zone.
• International Resources: These resources are regulated by international
organizations. E.g.: International waters.
 Depletion
In recent years, the depletion of natural resources has become a major focus
of governments and organizations such as the United Nations (UN). The
depletion of natural resources is considered a sustainable development issue.
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.
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 3⁄4 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 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.
 Protection
• In 1982, the United Nations developed the World Charter for Nature, which
recognized the need to protect nature from further depletion due to human activity.
It states that measures must be taken at all societal levels, from international to
individual, to protect nature.
• Habitat conservation is a type of land management 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 quality of life for 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
may be managed by the users according to the rules governing when and how the
resource is used depending on local condition or the resources may be managed by a
governmental organization or other central authority.