Natural Resources: Exploitation, Types, Hazards, and Agriculture
Natural Resources and Their Exploitation
Natural resources and their exploitation are elements of nature used by society, with its technology, for their benefit. Resources can be renewable or non-renewable.
Renewable resources have short recovery periods. Non-renewable resources are finite and will eventually run out as their consumption and renewal cycles are long. Human activity is producing the overexploitation of certain natural resources.
Types of Natural Resources
Water resources: Water is a basic resource for human life. Freshwater needs are covered by surface water (rivers, lakes) and groundwater.
Soils: Natural vegetation and crops grow on soils that have formed over thousands of years.
Vegetation: Humans use plants for food and economic activities.
Fauna: This includes animal species, both domesticated (livestock) and wild (hunting, fishing).
Atmosphere: The atmosphere is essential for life, providing oxygen and supporting photosynthesis in plants.
Mineral resources: These are found in the earth’s crust and seabed, and are used for energy or are energy-intensive.
Natural Hazards and the Population
Earthquakes: These are movements of the earth’s crust.
Tsunamis: These are huge tidal waves, usually caused by undersea earthquakes.
Volcanic Eruptions: Gas, ash, and lava ejected from volcanoes can endanger the lives of people living nearby.
Landslides: On steep slopes with clay materials and low vegetation, landslides can occur and damage roads.
Hurricanes: Some regions of the world are periodically affected by tropical cyclones.
Floods: These are caused by the overflow of rivers and are usually associated with heavy rainfall.
Agricultural Practices
Shifting Agriculture
This type of agriculture survives in some humid forest regions in Africa. Each year, a section of forest is logged and burned. Then, a variety of plants are planted on the ashes. Soil fertility decreases, and the land is left fallow for a long period of time.
Rainfed Sedentary Agriculture
In tropical savannas, the land is cultivated for a few years with diverse plant rotations, but must be left fallow after a long period to regain its fertility.
Intensive Irrigated Agriculture
Located in densely populated southern and eastern Asia, the limited available land is used intensively.
Plantation Agriculture
This agriculture is geared towards the consumption of large, traditionally European-owned farms. They specialize in one product designed entirely for export to other countries.
Mediterranean Polyculture
Polyculture has been common throughout the world until recently. In regions located around the Mediterranean, the trilogy consisting of cereal, vineyard, and olive grove is still dominant in dryland areas. In predominantly irrigated areas, fruit and vegetables are common.
Intensive Greenhouse Farming
The maximum degree of agricultural intensity is achieved today in areas where greenhouse crops are grown under glass or plastic. This type of agriculture requires high capital investment for the construction of facilities, irrigation and heating systems, fertilization, and seed selection. Their location is concentrated in very dense regions with little available land, but near large consumer markets.