Since human beings began to populate the earth, they have subsisted by consuming natural resources to shelter from the elements and eat through hunting, fishing and farming. The demand for these natural resources collected in an artisanal way allowed the land to recover. However, the Exploitation of Natural Resources by means of machinery and on a large scale is causing irreversible damage to Natural Resources in some cases.
Natural resources
Natural Resources is the name used to identify all the raw materials found in nature. These Natural Resources are important for the growth and development of human beings and all living things. Depending on their regeneration capacity in nature, they are classified as: Renewable Natural Resources and Non-renewable Natural Resources.
Renewable Natural Resources
Renewable Natural Resources, such as the wind that provides wind energy; the sun that provides solar energy, the water that provides hydroelectric energy, among other natural resources, are considered renewable in view that no matter how much human beings use them, they do not run out or would run out. This is because they have the ability to regenerate naturally faster than what humans consume.
Non-Renewable Natural Resources
In nature there are some non-renewable Natural Resources, they are those natural resources that once exploited by human beings cannot reuse them or produce them in sufficient quantity that can offer the amount required to be used by human beings. Likewise, they are those resources whose demand is greater than the capacity of nature to produce them again.
Exploitation of Natural Resources
The definition of Exploitation of Natural Resources is related to the actions of extraction and processing of resources found in nature and that are used as raw material for the generation of energy, industrial materials and products for consumption. Due to its high demand, its exploitation is carried out daily to meet global demand. Situation that has to lead to reflection to make the best rational use of these resources.
This is due to the fact that every day the Exploitation of Natural Resources affects the diversity of the planet and places that were protected due to their difficulty in accessing them are being altered. Causing that at the present time an ecological imbalance is becoming more and more evident due to the over-exploitation of one or another Natural Resources.
Since ancient times, human beings have used Natural Resources to produce goods and services to improve the quality of life of society, as long as they have allowed the natural capacity of replenishing them, they have achieved that that or those resources can be explode for a long time, to achieve a balance. However, it has also been observed that the Exploitation of Natural Resources indiscriminately has led to its extinction. This is precisely what is feared today because more and more resources are being extracted in great quantity and frequency.
This means that an "over-exploitation of natural resources" is carried out, which is a mismanagement of them. This deficiency in the management of Natural Resources affects the flora, fauna and the entire environment in general, because the food chain is altered and breaks the natural balance and even affects natural catastrophes, such as the deaths of many species due to not obtaining their natural sustenance or landslide for having eliminated vegetation that supported it, among others.
So, each time we have to be more aware that if man continues to extract Natural Resources irresponsibly and therefore in high quantities, he will continue to alter their replenishment rate. It is necessary to work in a planned and aware manner of the benefits that the environment offers and to make a change of attitude in order to then carry out a sustainable exploitation of natural goods and services in the short, medium and long term.
Human beings have to understand that we are part of the environment and that, although they have other capacities to create artificial ecosystems that allow us to live well, they also have to keep in mind that they continue to depend on all natural ecosystems and the resources they provide. they contribute Due to this, human beings are obliged to find a balance between technological, cultural and social advances with respect to the Exploitation of Natural Resources.
Types of Exploitation of Resources
The Exploitation of Natural Resources from the moment that the prevailing economic pattern was industrialization due to the incorporation of machinery to increase the rate of production of goods and services, led to the need for a greater amount of raw material to be able to supply the required to be used during industrial manufacturing. These productions are carried out daily and the extraction of Natural Resources is carried out on a large scale and in some cases without being aware of the regeneration capacity of these resources by nature.
Resources are often extracted in very high and sometimes unnecessary amounts, and although there are regulations, sometimes they are not taken into account and the controls to enforce sanctions are few or even ignored. Combined by the lack of information of the majority of the population about the conditions in which the Natural Resources are found in order to learn to appreciate and value them.
logging
As is known since ancient times, human beings have cut down trees to manufacture furniture, houses, boats and other useful articles for society. However, its extraction was gradual and affected little, although examples are known, such as the forests of Spain that were destroyed in times of war. These forests that later take years to restore them because it is the policy of the Spanish governments to recover them.
However, deforestation problems spread in all societies due to the advance of agricultural frontiers, the manufacture of goods for new cities, the installation and construction of highways, airports, dams, mining and other activities that, when carried out, degrade the environment. natural environment, harming the biological diversity of the affected ecosystems.
A situation that is in the forefront is the constant deforestation of the Amazon, whose forests have been impacted and in just the last twenty years, they have been reduced by almost half, this is due to the economic interests of extracting timber trees that are they get only in their forests. All this due to non-compliance with environmental regulations and abuse of power in some cases, as well as the lack of trained personnel committed to complying with them.
This breach of regulations, such as the tree extraction quota established by local laws, allows them to have enough wood to negotiate the surplus on a black market. Another way of losing forest mass almost permanently is through the substitution of crops or the construction of dams and natural species are deforested, which affects the ecological balance of the place.
Such is the case of the subtropical forests of Southeast Asia, where the agricultural frontier has led to the substitution of the original forests to establish palm plantations by the oil industry. When this substitution of vegetation is carried out, in addition to losing plant species, large mammals and birds also migrate. Thousands of invertebrates and small animals such as reptiles, among others that do not have the capacity to adapt in other places, die.
Fishing
Other resources that humanity has used for consumption since ancient times are fish and game animals. Due to the protein food requirements provided by beef, pork and poultry, humans domesticated some species to achieve a supply of these meats. The over-exploitation of animals through hunting is mainly of wild species to sell their skins, tusks or simple hunting trophies. An example is the gorillas of the Congo in Africa.
With the marine resource, its exploitation was more limited, and consequently this fauna was less exploited. Until the large ships were built that allow reaching more remote marine places and capturing marine animals in greater numbers and larger. This has resulted in a decline of some 50 to 40 years for the population of some marine species and due to their over-exploitation they do not have the capacity to regenerate.
This is due to the activity of overfishing of some species such as: monkfish, tuna, anchovies, sardines, cod, hake and other fish highly sought after as part of the traditional diet in many countries. The population of many of these species is declining, this is because they are consumed as fresh food or are used in the food industry to produce preserves such as sardines, anchovies, tuna, horse mackerel and others, and some are also used as fish feed. grown in fish farms.
This situation of overexploitation and decrease in the population of some marine species must be a wake-up call and enforce existing environmental regulations. Given that if this lack of respect for international agreements on the use of marine resources continues and the pertinent sanctions are not applied, it is feasible that many species that today are part of the diet will become extinct in about 20 years and in the years following others more.
Exploitation of mining resources
This type of Exploitation of non-renewable Natural Resources is carried out by extracting minerals that have accumulated over millions of years in the soil and subsoil. Mining can be metallurgical, when copper, gold, bauxite, iron, copper and others are extracted. And non-metallurgical mining, also called quarry mining and construction, such as the extraction of quartz, sapphire, granite, mica and other raw materials for construction, jewelry, among others.
The Exploitation of non-renewable Natural Resources through mining has a negative impact on the environment, such as soil erosion, decrease in biological diversity, formation of sinkholes, environmental pollution due to deforestation, leaching of toxic substances to soils and waters, which affect human beings who are in the mines and adjacent areas.
Due to the environmental problems that the Extraction of these resources entails, in some countries the mining companies have to comply with a series of regulations to reduce the negative environmental impacts, both in the mine and in the surrounding populations. Regulations require mining companies to conduct environmental impact assessment studies and management plans. However, the negative impacts of this type of Exploitation are very damaging.
Oil exploitation
The Exploitation of non-renewable Natural Resources such as oil is one of the most important for the economic pattern in which societies are inserted. Oil is a non-renewable Natural Resource and is still the main raw material to generate energy and other derivatives such as fuel, domestic gas, and as well as plastics. Although other sources are being sought to replace oil, it is still the main source of energy and is the backbone of the world economic market and the economic policy of some countries.
for nuclear power
A non-renewable Natural Resource that is being used for the production of electricity from controlled nuclear energy, whose raw material is Uranium and Hydrogen. Uranium is extracted from the subsoil, it is a radioactive mineral, for this reason, before starting the extraction, an environmental impact study must be presented to the organisms that regulate the environmental quality of the region where the mine is located.
In these evaluations, the risks of radioactive contamination by radon must be considered; the possible doses of radioactive particles that are inhaled by being in the air due to the exploitation of this radioactive mineral. Likewise, the small earthquakes that are produced by the explosions of dynamite at a certain depth in the subsoil must be considered. As well as other impacts on the flora and fauna of the place that lead to the destruction of the local biodiversity.
Overexploitation and its Consequences
The uncontrolled Exploitation of Natural Resources, whether renewable or non-renewable, can lead to: destruction of ecosystems, loss of biodiversity, pollution, socio-economic problems, among others.
- Loss of biodiversity. The decrease and even loss of species produces changes in ecosystems that alter their natural dynamics. The loss of biodiversity can occur due to mining, agriculture, forestry, which result in different types of pollution in the environment.
- Socioeconomic problems. The imbalance during the processes of the Extraction of Natural Resources can cause crises due to scarcity of raw material or oversupply of raw material and produce an imbalance in the international market, due to the globalization of the economy. Causing a negative impact on societies that translates into increased unemployment, social crises, high cost of basic services and food, especially in less developed countries.
- contamination problems. The over-exploitation of Natural Resources leads to a high production of waste and organic, inorganic and toxic residues, some of them even radioactive, which impact the environment in a negative way, which can modify the environmental balance without allowing, depending on the damage and the agent cause, as well as naturally recover from the damage caused.
The Exploitation of Resources is carried out from the different animals in search of food, and from leaves, branches, mud and other materials to protect themselves from the elements, since ancient times, the difference is that they maintain a balance. While human beings extract these resources, only thinking of their benefit, without realizing that they are destroying their own home.
I invite you to continue knowing the wonders of nature and how to care for and manage its resources to preserve them for a long time. I invite you to read the following posts: