resource management

• Natural resource


  Any feature or part of the environment that can be used to meet human needs
• Types of natural resources

  • Biotic (living) resources
  • Abiotic (non-living) resources
  • Non-renewable resources
  • Renewable resources
• Biotic resources


  Obtained from the biosphere, capable of reproduction (e.g. animals and plants)
• Abiotic resources


  Obtained from the lithosphere, atmosphere and hydrosphere (e.g. soil, sunlight, water)
• Non-renewable resources


  Take millions of years to form and cannot be 'remade' (e.g. coal, oil, gas)
• Renewable resources


  Can be naturally replenished and last forever (e.g. wind, solar, hydro-electric power)
• Impacts from human exploitation

  • Deforestation
  • Overfishing
  • Oil extraction
  • Farming
• Deforestation


  Threatens biodiversity and causes soil erosion. Palm oil plantations destroy habitats such as those in the Amazon.
• Overfishing


  Fishing provides a source of protein and jobs, but cod numbers have fallen in the North Sea.
• Oil extraction


  Toxic water pollutes rivers that indigenous peoples rely on for washing, cooking and fishing.
• Farming


  Intensive farming reduces biodiversity.
• Natural resources are not evenly distributed
• Locations of natural resources

  • Fossil fuels like coal in sedimentary rock regions such as the USA and Canada
  • Gold in past tectonically-active areas such as Australia
  • Copper reserves in South America and South Africa
• Natural resources in the UK

  • Hill sheep farming in the north and west due to high precipitation and upland areas
  • Arable farming in East Anglia due to warm summers, flat land, and fertile soils
  • Oil and gas extracted from the North Sea
• Usage and consumption of natural resources are not evenly distributed around the world
• Uneven distribution of resource usage and consumption


  • Energy usage higher in more developed countries, rising in China and India, low in less developed countries
  • Food consumption higher in developed countries like the USA, lower in many African countries
  • Water usage greater in more developed countries, lower in less developed countries
• 97% of water on Earth is salty and 2% is locked up as ice, leaving only 1% for over 7 billion people
• Uneven distribution of water

  Due to different amounts of rainfall that countries receive and different rates of evaporation and transpiration
• Freshwater availability


  • Canada and Iceland have the greatest availability per person, North Africa is lacking
• Freshwater availability in the UK

  • Southern England has less water per person than the north, and less water per person than Spain
• Water consumption has risen the most in Asia over the last 50 years
• In North America and Europe consumption has increased at a slower rate, and in Africa and South America increase in consumption has been more gradual
• Oceania and Australia have the lowest increase in water consumption
• Factors contributing to the global increase in water consumption

  • Greater water usage in machinery as mechanisation increases
  • Labour saving technology such as dishwashers
  • Watering gardens and luxuries such as hot tubs and swimming pools
  • Regular use of showers (showering society)
  • Increased leisure and tourism – spas, waterparks, and golf courses
• Bangladesh has a HDI rank of 142 and as a developing country, 88% of its water is used in agriculture, only 2% is used in industry and 10% is used domestically
• China has an emerging economy and uses 65% of its water in agriculture, 23% in industry, and 12% domestically
• Japan, a developed country, uses 64% of its water in agriculture, 17% in industry but 19% domestically
• Reasons for differences in water usage between developing and developed countries

  • Agriculture - Developed countries have more efficient irrigation
  • Industry - Developing countries have small-scale industry, developed countries have large water-intensive manufacturing
  • Domestic - Developed countries have piped water, developing countries rely on communal taps
• Reasons for water supply problems in the UK

  • Supply and demand are uneven - Most rainfall in Scotland and Wales, but demand higher in south and east of England
  • Seasonal imbalance - Water needed in summer for irrigation, but rainfall greater in winter
  • Ageing infrastructure - Leaks in thousands of km of pipes
• Reasons for water supply problems in emerging and developing countries

  • Untreated water - Over 2 billion people lack adequate sanitation, polluting water sources
  • Water pollution - Use of fertilisers, pesticides, and mining pollute water
  • Low annual rainfall - High evaporation rates in regions like the Sahel
• Large scale technological solutions to water stress and water scarcity (e.g. desalination) involve significant investment, usually from governments, but have major environmental impacts
• Desalination


  Removing salt from seawater to supply water for drinking, washing, agriculture and industry
• Disadvantages of desalination


  • Not very efficient, converting only half of what comes in
  • Waste product is very salty water
  • Sea life can be killed by the plants
  • Uses a lot of energy
  • Very expensive to develop
• Lasting solutions to water stress can only be reached if water is managed sustainably
• Sustainable water management at different scales

  • Individuals - Xeriscaping in Nevada
  • Organisations - Recycling wastewater in Las Vegas casinos
  • Governments - Reducing domestic use by paying residents to replace lawns in Las Vegas
• Sustainable water management by the UK government

  • Building new reservoirs
  • Recycling water - Treating wastewater for reuse
  • Installing water meters
  • Educating people about using less water
• Sustainable water management by the Chinese government

  • Transferring water from south to north
  • Lining irrigation channels to reduce water loss
  • Using micro-sprinklers and drop-resistant crops
• 97% of water on Earth is salty and 2% is locked up as ice, leaving only 1% for over 7 billion people
• The availability of freshwater varies globally
• Canada and Iceland


  • Greatest availability of freshwater per person