Natural_Resources_and_Advanced_Technology

A natural resource is defined as a natural material found on earth that is useful for humans in some way. It is often processed of manufactured in order for it to meet the needs of a society. Resources then differ spatially, as different people have different needs and therefore require different resources, and temporally as a society grows and advances their needs will change and so to their resources. Natural resources range from minerals and metals to people (their labor and skills). (Kleeman 1997, Pashley 1996, Plant 1998) In this response 2 major sample studies will be used, these are, water and energy (in the form of uranium) on a variety of scales. Natural resources are derived from the environment. Many of them are essential for our survival while others are used for satisfying our wants. Natural resources may be further classified in different ways. • Renewable resources are ones that can be replenished or reproduced easily. Some of them, like sunlight, air, wind, etc., are continuously available and their quantity is not affected by human consumption. Many renewable resources can be depleted by human use, but may also be replenished, thus maintaining a flow. Some of these, like agricultural crops, take a short time for renewal; others, like water, take a comparatively longer time, while still others, like forests, take even longer. • Non-renewable resources are formed over very long geological periods. Minerals and fossil fuels are included in this category. Since their rate of formation is extremely slow, they cannot be replenished once they get depleted. Of these, the metallic minerals can be re-used by recycling them. But coal and petroleum cannot be recycled. [edit] Examples Some examples of natural resources include the following: • Agriculture—agronomy is the science and technology of using plants for food, fuel, feed, and fiber. • Air, wind and atmosphere • Plants • Animals • Coal, fossil fuels, rock and mineral resources • Forestry • Range and pasture • Soils • Water, oceans, lakes, groundwater and rivers [ • Natural resource management is a discipline in the management of natural resources such as land, water, soil, plants and animals, with a particular focus on how management affects the quality of life for both present and future generations. Natural resource management is interrelated with the concept of sustainable development, a principle that forms a basis for land management and environmental governance throughout the world. • In contrast to the policy emphases of urban planning and the broader concept of environmental management, Natural resource management specifically focuses on a scientific and technical understanding of resources and ecology and the life-supporting capacity of those resources. Protection See also: Environmental protection Conservation biology is the scientific study of the nature and status of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction.[4][5] It is an interdisciplinary subject drawing on sciences, economics, and the practice of natural resource management.[6][7][8][9] The term conservation biology was introduced as the title of a conference held University of California at San Diego in La Jolla, California in 1978 organized by biologists Bruce Wilcox and Michael Soulé. Habitat conservation is a land management practice that seeks to conserve, protect and restore, habitat areas for wild plants and animals, especially conservation reliant species, and prevent their extinction, fragmentation or reduction in range.[10] It is a priority of many groups that cannot be easily characterized in terms of any one ideology. The human race's use of technology began with the conversion of natural resources into simple tools. The prehistorical discovery of the ability to control fire increased the available sources of food and the invention of the wheel helped humans in travelling in and controlling their environment. Recent technological developments, including the printing press, the telephone, and the Internet, have lessened physical barriers to communication and allowed humans to interact on a global scale. However, not all technology has been used for peaceful purposes; the development of weapons of ever-increasing destructive power has progressed throughout history, from clubs to nuclear weapons.