Natural Resource
Management
IAFNR MODULE 4
N AT U R A L R E S O U R C E S
Types of Resources
Can you think of an example of
each type of resource?
• Nonexhaustible Resources
– A natural resource that, for all practical purposes, never runs out
• Renewable Resources
– A natural resource that can be replaced as it is used, such as trees and
wildlife
• Exhaustible Resources
– A natural resource that exists in a limited quantity and cannot be replaced
when used
Thinking “Eco” Logically
• Ecology- the study of relationships among living things
• Ecosystem- a community of interrelated plants and animals in a
given environment
– Consists of living and non-living things
• 3 components to a complete ecosystem
– Producers
– Transformers
– Decomposers
Balance in
Nature
• Change is constant
and natural
•
Time is necessary to replace
what is lost and adapt to
change
• Human adaptations
•
Our massive changes to the
ecosystem affect everything,
even humans
Managing natural resources
means controlling nature so
that we can use its resources
without destroying its balance
or without permanently
upsetting the balance
Image retrieved from: http://www.picturequotes.com/everythingin-nature-is-about-balance-quote-4248
The Food
Chain
• Food Chain
•
a group of plants and or
animals related to each other
by the fact that one feeds or
depends for food on the next
• Food Web
•
A group of organisms that
depend on each other for food
in a given ecosystem.
•
A food web typically consists of
a series of interconnected food
chains
Image retrieved from: http://terryeng35.blogspot.com/2012/05/food-chains-food-webs.html
Carrying
Capacity
• Population Level
•
The number of a given species
in a given area at a specific
point in time
•
Affected by water availability,
shelter, predators, disease, and
parasites
• Carrying Capacity
•
The ability of an ecosystem to
provide food and shelter for a
given population level
•
Affected by the food chain of
the given species
Image retrieved from:
http://artistcarnival.blogspot.c
om/2013/04/gmos-malthusand-haber.html
Human Population
Image retrieved from:
http://econosystemics.c
om/?p=9
If we are to continue to feed, shelter, and clothe 9 billion people by 2050 we need to
plan our to use our resources accordingly!
Resource Use
• All living things depend on the ecosystem for survival
• Not possible to sustain the human population without altering
the ecosystem
– Altering does not mean to abuse or misuse resources
•
•
•
•
We must take care of our soils
We must dispose of waste properly
We must recycle metals and minerals
We must seek out substitutes for exhaustible resources
Conservation vs Preservation
What do you know about
Conservation?
• Preservation
– An attempt to prevent the use of
some natural resources or the
modification of an environment
simply for the sake of keeping it
intact
• 1916: National Park Service
– Meant to preserve national
treasures from being exploited
• Examples: Yosemite, Grand Canyon,
American Bald Eagle
Can we use resources without
destroying them? Can we afford
to preserve resources?
References
Camp. W., & Heath-Camp, B. (2009) Managing our Natural
Resources. New York: Delmar.
Natural Resource [Def. 1]. (n.d.). In Merriam Webster
Online, Retrieved February 24, 2015, from http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/natural%20resource.