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resource management — English
Controlling the use of any material or object that is of use to humankind. Two types of resources are distinguished, namely natural resources which are naturally occurring exploitable materials that may be used to enhance human wellbeing, and human resources which are those things that human beings themselves may contribute to the well-being of humankind. In geography we are interested in the management of both types of resources. Of course, different people regard different things as resources; that is a cultural aspect of human existence. But, irrelevant of culture, certain resources are renewable and others are non-renewable. Renewable resources are materials that can be regenerated as fast as or nearly as fast as they are used. Vegetation, groundwater, animals, oxygen, solar energy and wind are examples. Nonrenewable resources are regenerated at a much slower rate or not at all. Fossil fuels (see “fossil fuel”), iron ore, diamonds, gold and a beautiful natural landscape cannot be regenerated, but we may at least reuse or recycle (see “recycling”) some of them. Soil is a very difficult resource to classify; it can be regenerated, but at a much slower rate than human activities can either loose or degrade it to a state where it is unproductive. From a resource management and sustainability point of view, soil is classified as non-renewable on a human time-scale, and many scientists and environmentalists regard accelerated soil erosion as humankind’s most serious environmental threat. Resource management basically aims at the sustainable use of all types of resources. It seeks to minimise the use of non-renewable resources and the slowed-down use plus the replenishment of the renewables. Resources are evaluated and managed by means of different methods which include restriction of use (that is, conservation), forbidding all use (that is, preservation), pollution regulations, prescribed rehabilitation of a landscape after use, permission to execute actions that might impact on the environment, and variations of the aforementioned methods. The most important management strategy and the only one which would really arrest all the problems, is the cultivation of a culture of sustainable use. However, that is a long-term solution, while the problems demand immediate action which could be provided by international conventions and national laws, regulations and permitting (see “international conventions” and “environmental management”).
