NATURAL RESOURCES

MANAGEMENT
GRACE B., VERIDIANO
1st Semester
SHS Science Teacher

Lecture 2
…review of last meeting

 Resources
 Renewable
 Potentially renewable
 Non-renewable

To further characterize it…

A common classification of natural resources
includes the following types of resources
(de Zeeuw, 2000):

 non-renewable and non-recyclable

resources, such as fossil fuels
 non-renewable but recyclable resources,
such as minerals (urban mining)
 quickly renewable resources, such as fish
 slowly renewable resources, such as forests
 environmental resources, such as air, water
and soil
 flow resources, such as solar and wind energy
NRM

 Natural Resources Management (NRM) refers

to the sustainable utilization of major natural
resources, such as land, water, air, minerals,
forests, fisheries, and wild flora and fauna.
Together, these resources provide the
ecosystem services that underpin human life.
NRM
 It’s about the long-term implications of actions
- thinking about the future and not just about now.

 NRM is about SUSTAINABILITY

 The goal is sustainability - balancing social (people and

communities), economic (money and jobs) and
environmental (land, water, air and living things)
factors to make sure that our children and
grandchildren can equally benefit from our natural
resources.
NRM

 Our social, economic and environmental

wellbeing depends on the sustainable
management of natural resources.

 In fact, in many instances, the goal is to

leave a better natural environment for people
in the future than what we have today!
NRM
 NRM deals with managing the way in which people and natural
landscapes interact.
 It brings together land use planning, water management,
biodiversity conservation, and the future sustainability of industries
 It recognizes that people and their livelihoods rely on the health and
productivity of our landscapes, and their actions as stewards of the
land play a critical role in maintaining this health and productivity.
 Natural resource management specifically focuses on a scientific and
technical understanding of resources and ecology and the life-
supporting capacity of those resources.
 Environmental management is also similar to natural resource
management .
Natural Resources Management

 Why do we need to manage our natural

resources?
Natural Resources Management (NRM)

 This represents the

entire water available
for the community
 It can be renewed from
the rainfall collected in
roofs.
 The man holding the
pitcher has the total
control over the water
that was collected
Natural Resources Management (NRM)
(Group Activity # 1)

 Do you think that the person who

controls the water should share the
water with other members of the group
equally?

 Should this person make sure that the

pitcher is always full and that water is
always available for the community?

 How would the group feel if the pitcher

broke and the person did not fix it? Now
all the water is running off the roof and
is not being collected for the group.
Natural Resources Management (NRM)
(Group Activity # 1)
Natural Resources Management (NRM)
(Group Activity # 1)

 Compare
 How will the group
collect it?
 What will be the
difference?
 Will it be more efficient?
 Why?
 Why?
 and more WHYS?
 Relate to NRM
Why do we need to manage NR?
Why do we need to manage NR?
Why do we need to manage NR?
 Every moment of our lives we use the resources that nature
provides.
 We breathe the air that encircles our earth.
 We eat plants grown in the soil and other living species.
 We use vegetation for food, pasture and shelter.
 We live in houses made from
 wood that was once trees,
 brick that was once clay,
 steel that was once minerals in the earth.
 We drink water that falls from the heavens and use it to
irrigate the land.
 We use energy provided by coal and oil or the sun.
Why do we need to manage NR?

 We depend on nature to supply all our basic

needs - air, food, water, shelter, warmth,
energy - yet few of us consciously
acknowledge these gifts or think about the
price nature pays for such generosity.
Issues on NRM
 NRM issues are complex as they involve the ecological
cycles, hydrological cycles, climate, human beings, animals,
plants and geography etc.
 All these are dynamic and inter-related. Change in one of
them may have far reaching and/or long term impacts may
be irreversible.
 In addition to the natural systems, natural resource
management also has to manage various stakeholders and
their interests, policies, politics, geographical boundaries,
economic implications and the list goes on.
 It is very difficult to satisfy all aspects at the same time.
 This results in conflicting situations.
The price nature pays

Natural & anthropogenic causes

The price nature pays (cont…)

Pollutions everywhere
 Land
 Water
 Air
 Sound
 Light
The price nature pays (cont…)

We
also
pollute
our
minds
The price nature pays (cont…)
The price nature pays (cont…)
Key Philosophies and
Concepts

• Basic ecological concepts for NRM

• The ecosystems approach to NRM
Basic Ecological Concepts for NRM

1. Scope of Ecology
- ECOLOGY is that part of biology that
examines the abundance and distribution of
organisms, and the interrelationships
between organisms and their environment.
- study of interrelationships/interactions
between the biotic and abiotic components
of the ecosystem.
Scope of Ecology

PCTOOOPCEB
Scope of Ecology (PCTOOOPCEB)

P – Protoplasm

The living
substance of a cell
Scope of Ecology (PCTOOOPCEB)

C – Cell

The basic unit of

life
Scope of Ecology (PCTOOOPCEB)

T – Tissue

group of cells
performing a
specific function
Scope of Ecology (PCTOOOPCEB)

O – Organ

Group of tissues
performing a
specific function
Scope of Ecology (PCTOOOPCEB)

O –
Organ System

Group of organs
performing a
specific function
Scope of Ecology (PCTOOOPCEB)

O – Organism
Individual
Species – group of
organism that resemble one
another in appearance,
behavior, chemistry, and in
the genes
Scope of Ecology (PCTOOOPCEB)

P – Population

Group of organisms
of the same kind or
species occupying a
particular place at
the same time
Scope of Ecology (PCTOOOPCEB)

C – Community

Group of populations
occupying a given
area
Scope of Ecology (PCTOOOPCEB)

E – Ecosystem
The basic unit of
ECOLOGY

A community of different
species interacting with
one another and with their
living environment of
matter & energy
Scope of Ecology (PCTOOOPCEB)

B – Biosphere

The world of life

Basic Ecological Concepts for NRM
(cont…)

2. Biotic and abiotic influence on organisms

In nature, a variety of biotic and abiotic factors

act simultaneously to influence the ability of
organisms to establish, survive, grow, and
reproduce in any one place and time.
Basic Ecological Concepts for NRM
(cont…)

3. Biological interaction

On every site, the organisms that are present interact

continually in a variety of ways. Some interactions are
beneficial (e.g., mutualism), some are harmful (e.g.,
predation and parasitism), and others have no net effect.

Biological interactions can involve individuals of the same

species (intraspecific interactions) or individuals of different
species (interspecific interactions).
Basic Ecological Concepts for NRM
(cont…)

4. Niche

Different species respond to their environment in

different ways, and this causes them to have
different theoretical ranges (fundamental niche).
A given species' actual presence (realized niche) on
a particular site depends upon: (i) its ability to
disperse onto that site; and its competitive ability
to (ii) establish, (iii) survive, and (iv) reproduce.
Basic Ecological Concepts for NRM
(cont…)
5. Earth’s Life Support Systems

 Atmosphere
 Hydrosphere
 Lithosphere
 Ecosphere or
Biosphere
Basic Ecological Concepts for NRM
(cont…)

6. Pathways of energy

Without energy, there would be nothing.

Pathways of energy through the living components of

the ecosystem are represented by food chain and
food web.

Producers convert radiant energy of the sun into

chemical energy of food.
• All ecosystem functions ultimately depend upon
energy, and carbon is the energy currency of almost
all ecosystems.

• In any given ecosystem, organisms called primary

producers (autotrophs) obtain energy (usually solar
radiation) from the non-living environment and
convert it into a biologically useful form
(carbohydrates; usually via photosynthesis).

• Other organisms (heterotrophs) obtain their energy

by “eating” primary producers and/or other
heterotrophs (consumers) or by decomposing dead
organic matter (decomposers).
FOOD CHAIN FOOD WEB
Basic Ecological Concepts for NRM
(cont…)
Pyramid of energy
It is a graphic representation
of the amount of energy
trapped per unit time and area
in different trophic level of a
food chain with producers
forming the base and the top
carnivores at the tip.

Only 10% of the energy is

available to next trophic level
(as per Lindemann's ten
percent rule).
 Basic Ecological Concepts for NRM
(cont…)

7. Trophic levels

The energy pyramid shows that as you go higher the trophic

levels, the amount of energy decreases
You are stranded on a barren island with a
cow and a 50kg bag of corn. Your objective
is how to stay alive long enough for a rescue
team to arrive.

Decide on what on what order of eating the

cow and the corn so that you get the most
benefit.

Your choices are ...

[Link] the cow, then the corn
[Link] the corn, then the cow
[Link] the cow with corn, then eat
the cow.
[Link] the corn with the cow, then
eat the cow
[Link] the corn with the cow, then
drink cows milk

 What would you choose and

why?
 What is its implication to
human society?
 Assume that there is no loss of
food by spoilage.
 Ecological insights

 The energy trap by producers goes directly to the primary

consumer.
 As a result, vegetarian diet allows more people to get more
energy.
 By eating plants rather than meat, people take in more
energy absorbed by the plants.

“in places where production of food is limited and the

population is large, it is advisable to generally eat
vegetables or have vegetarian diets”
 Basic Ecological Concepts for NRM
(cont…)

8. Biological magnification
Basic Ecological Concepts for NRM
(cont…)

9. Ecosystem is in constant state of “flux”

Natural Disturbance

Ecological Succession

Climax stage (steady state)

The Ecosystems Approach to NRM

The ecosystem approach is a holistic and

inclusive approach to looking after the
natural environment.

It helps apply current thinking about ecosystem

services (what nature does for people) in line
with the commonly accepted goal of
'sustainable development'.
The Ecosystems Approach to NRM

The ecosystem approach is a systems approach to managing

the relationship between people and the natural
environment in which they live and work.

The three original 'pillars' of sustainability - economic

development, social development and environmental
protection - are often seen as separate competing interests.

The ecosystem approach encourages recognition of the

interdependence of these goals. According to it, the natural
environment is the setting in which economies can grow and
local communities can be built.
The Ecosystems Approach
The Ecosystems Approach to NRM

The focal point of this new system is examining

and understanding the interdependent
relationship of plants, animals, and
ecological processes (such as gene flow, fire,
etc.) that link them with the physical
environment and the needs of people