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The Changing Resource Base of
The Rural Environment
Main resources of rural areas:
 Agriculture
 Mining – minerals
 Tourism
Generally there has been a change from primary employment to the service & tourist industries.
Agriculture
The main resource in rural areas is still agriculture.
There are divisions in farming due to climate & topography. E.g. East-west divide in the UK, with
pastoral farming in the West due to wet climate, hills and clay soil. There is intensive farming in the
East where there are large farms & mechanisation.
Forestry
There has been an increase in forestry particularly those grown on hills as it is a way of using the land.
Sitker spruce is often planted as it is cheap and grows quickly. However, forestry does not employ
many people. Forestry occurs particularly in the Scottish Highlands e.g. Fort William.
Mining
Mining is in decline as a lot of resources have now run out e.g. zinc, tin & lead e.g. tin mines in
Cornwall & coal mines in Yorkshire.
There is a lot of conflict as mining & quarrying causes a lot of environmental damage. Many people are
fighting for the preservation of rural areas.
Reservoirs
Reservoirs have developed in Wales & the Lake District to supply water to major cities in the UK. This
is part of the water transfer scheme. The West receives too much rainfall but the East doesn’t receive
enough so it is pumped from West to East. Kielder Water supplies water to Tyneside & also provides
recreational facilities. However, it did require a large valley to be dammed & flooded.
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Tourism
Tourism has changed rural areas by creating a different ideology. Tourism has a huge impact and
influence on the rural community. This is particularly true in National Parks & the S Downs. There has
always been a link between rural & urban areas e.g. farm markets, but that link is now much larger
with tourism.
Tourism brings in a lot of employment & money but it is important that the environment is protected.
There are now designated protected areas for leisure and tourism – National Parks, which are backed
by the government. There is a conflict between enjoying the beauty of the area & protecting the area.
Tourism has been increasing from industrial workers taking a few days holiday in Blackpool to the
present situation with increased numbers travelling abroad or to the SE where there is a warmer climate
& a wide range of attractive scenery.
There are many reasons for this change towards tourism:
 People have greater time & money – go to National Parks.
 People have more leisure time with paid holiday time from work. Also lower working week &
greater flexi-time.
 Increased mobility – Greater car-ownership & chartered flights.
 Improvements in transport – roads, motorways, airports.
 Changing lifestyles & fashion – Earlier retirement etc.
 Increased awareness of the need for “green” tourism.
Increasingly people in rural areas are seeing the potential to market the resource of tourism & so it is
increasingly developing.
Lake District
Development of hotels, barns, B&B for extra income. There are campsites that provide lots of local
employment. Also reservoirs are managed to provide cafes, shops, cycling, fishing etc.
Scottish Highlands
There is now greater accessibility & so skiing has developed. There are many facilities for extreme
sports. Around these a tourist industry has developed with hotels, ski-lifts etc. Many more footpaths
have been opened but in some cases this may be abused e.g. 4x4 scrambling.
However there is the need for compromise in these areas to prevent problems with footpath erosion &
damage to the environment. It is important that these areas are not over-used.