Natural resources are naturally occurring substances that are considered valuable in their relatively unmodified (natural) form. A natural resource’s value rests in the amount of the material available and the demand for it. The latter is determined by its usefulness to production. A commodity is generally considered a natural resource when the primary activities associated with it are extraction and purification, as opposed to creation. Thus, mining, petroleum extraction, fishing, hunting, and forestry are generally considered natural-resource industries, while agriculture is not. The term was introduced to a broad audience by E.F. Schumacher in his 1970s book Small is Beautiful.
Classification of natural resources
Natural resources are mostly classified into renewable and non-renewable resources. Renewable resources
Renewable resources are generally living resources (fish, reindeer, coffee, and forests, for example), which can restock (renew) themselves if they are not over-harvested but used sustainably. Once renewable resources are consumed at a rate that exceeds their natural rate of replacement, the standing stock (see renewable energy) will diminish and eventually run out. The rate of sustainable use of a renewable resource is determined by the replacement rate and amount of standing stock of that particular resource. Non-living renewable natural resources include soil and water.
Flow renewable resources are very much like renewable resources, only they do not need regeneration, unlike renewable resources. Flow renewable resources include renewable energy sources such as the following renewable power sources: solar, geothermal, biomass, landfill gas, tides and wind.
Resources can also be classified on the basis of their origin as biotic and abiotic. Biotic resources are derived from living organisms. Abiotic resources are derived from the non-living world (e.g., land, water, and air). Mineral and power resources are also abiotic resources some of which are derived from nature.
Non-renewable resources
A non-renewable resource is a natural resource that exists in a fixed amount that cannot be re-made, re-grown or regenerated as fast as it is consumed and used up.
Some non-renewable resources can be renewable but take an extremely long time to renew. Fossil fuels, for example, take millions of years to form and so are not practically considered ‘renewable’. Many environmentalists proposed to tax on consumption of non renewable resources.
Natural capital
Natural resources are natural capital converted to commodity inputs to infrastructural capital processes. They include soil, timber, oil, minerals, and other goods taken more or less from the Earth. Both extraction of the basic resource and refining it into a purer, directly usable form, (e.g., metals, refined oils) are generally considered natural-resource activities, even though the latter may not necessarily occur near the former.
A nation’s natural resources often determine its wealth and status in the world economic system, by determining its political influence in. Developed nations are those which are less dependent on natural resources for wealth, due to their greater reliance on infrastructural capital for production. However, some see a resource curse whereby easily obtainable natural resources could actually hurt the prospects of a national economy by fostering political corruption. Political corruption can negatively impact the national economy because time is spent giving bribes or other economically unproductive acts instead of the generation of generative economic activity. There also tends to be concentrations of ownership over specific plots of land that have proven to yield natural resources.
In recent years, the depletion of natural capital and attempts to move to sustainable development have been a major focus of development agencies. This is of particular concern in rainforest regions, which hold most of the Earth’s natural biodiversity – irreplaceable genetic natural capital. Conservation of natural resources is the major focus of natural capitalism, environmentalism, the ecology movement, and Green Parties. Some view this depletion as a major source of social unrest and conflicts in developing nations.Other information sources
Sources and Links:
- Natural Resources Research Information Pages (NRRIPS)
- Natural Resources Weblinks (University of Denver website)
- Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS)
- School of Natural Resources and Environment (SNRE)
- Different pages of Wikipedia
Rashid's Blog: Portal for Inquisitive Learners 
thanx 🙂
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Hey thx alot!
Nice to know something about natural resources.
Iam a Facility Management study, and we need any facts about resources. I´ve searched the whole internet, and your site is the first font with actually good informations. I need more sites which had something in store like those facts… “From good authority” 🙂
Greets
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hey thanx it was really great. iwas searching this information for my project. in classification you can also add about biotic or abiotic, ownership classification and status of development. i got a few more information. thanks a lot
have a great day
greetings
reeta
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ilike the site made my work easier.keep up
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hello rashid can u help me out i wanted to know all about natural resources as i have to make an E.V.S. project for my board exams. will you plzzzzzzzzzzz help me out. i will always be thankful to you. plzzzzzzz reply me urgently.
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please help me with types of forests and woodlands resources and also utilization of forests in Africa
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I found this site very resourceful, as it greatly enhance my understanding of the intricate nature of the environment. I have been able to learn a lot about natural resource conservation and will need more updates from this site. I really appreciate what wonderful work you are doing. Keep it up.
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Thanks alot Sir,
i am a Geography Postgraduate student in Cameroon, and have searched for information about natural resources on the internet for long but to no avail. This comprehensive piece is of exceptional quality. Thanks for the effort.
I need more of such useful material
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Hey dude! i wanted the table of classification of resources, plz help me. Its amazing site
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@Clipton
It is good to know that the the blog is serving its main purpose. I teach geography and started this to help geography students all over the world. Keep visiting. If you want article on any particular topic please mail me.
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yup its good but i wanted something on depletion
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very good comment
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hello, rashid! I wanted to know about the conservation of natural resources, bioreserves, national parks and all, you know. It is for my geography project, help me please! Send me a reply as soon as possible!
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Hi Rashid,thanks a lot for your resourceful information about the meaning of natural resourceful and their classification.Actually you have helped me so much at a crucial time when was carrying out my research assignment.Thanks again,KEVIN.
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Keep it up! Rashid, you have aided my research project in manifold ways. The definition of natural resources is clear and precise.thanks again.
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Hi! Rashid.Your blog ,very interested to me.coz it is helpfull for those who are visting this site.Please sir,may you help to know how natural resources supporting livelihoods of the poor in Tanzania? Am waiting from you sir.It will be helpfull to me.
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i am deputy Geologist I am very with you that giving information to any people.
THANKS
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Thanks a lots…This is really an interesting topic.
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Hi Rashid; Thanks for the info. Can you provide some additional info in the form of presentations or documents as teaching materials on natural resource mapping
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hey rashid your piece of work was really interesting
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@muskan
Thanks. Keep visiting.
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hey, thanks dude…
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Thanks Abhishek.
Keep Visiting.
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hei!! i think u shld also write abt: pastoral resources and agricultural resources….
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Thanks but this didnt have what i needed.!!!!
Rene Peyton
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hey thanx i was searching this for my project and i get more from you as i was expected.
have a great time thanx!
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Good work researched & written. Kip up Rashid
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Good work researched & written. Kip up Rashid. 25/10/2010. 10:00pm, Monday
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cool stuff
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the language is really lucid. can you please give the origins of these classifictiona. Has Owen made these classifications?
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lucid language. good article. can you give me an idea about the classification of resources. who has made them initially. are these by Owen?
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Iam interested reading your artical, but iwant to know the relationship between Anthropology of natural resources
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tanx alot rashid…dis is work made easy u no.of all d articles i av seen in relation to natural resources,only ur article stated that some non-renewable natural resources can be renewed only after a very long period of time usually after millions of years…wow!tanx for making me understand that…i hope to see their differences wen next i log into ur page…tanx again..
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Thanx about a brief information on natural resources, I am a wildlife manager in Tanzania and the information have provided at least a brief information on the undestanding what am managing
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I really appropriated that work you,re doing because natural resouces are our life
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yeah……good work for projects…..thnx 😛
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you rule 2 d core and you know wat i got 25/10 in my project and i’m serious i got a 15 mark bonus.u rule
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mujhe chart PE banana tha “pictorial classification of resources”
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thanksss lot………………………………………………………………………this is a good classification…………..,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
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HEY !!! BUDDY . THANKS FOR YOUR BLOG !!! ITS MUCH HELPFUL ME AT MY CLASS PROJECT !!!
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THANK U !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Hey thanx this is awesome I got all the information needed for my project GREAT GOING keep it up thanx again
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Shyamji Gupta
thanx a lot……it ‘s very helpful for my class project
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hey,
thanxx 4 the info. but can u provide me some more defination plzzzzzzzzzzzz……….
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thankxx for good knowlege about this topic….. nisha
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hey i like it but it takes a lot of time to open . but it is interesting i was just searching a notes for my project and only from this i was able to get notes for my project so thanks a lot
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alex maroko ku .please show how human and natural factors inluencing resource use
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I likes this I was serching this things for my one project
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Hey keep it up man! you are doing a great job outta there. Got a great deal of help from your blog.
Thanks.
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hey could you just do something so that this opens up soon?
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So fantastic,could u pls keep it up?
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thankuuuu…
for help
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Thanks a lot Sir, i’ve been inspired much by your rich explanation!Still i’m asking for ua assistance to know;
1.Since natural resources are dynamic,there is no need to classify them as renewable &non renewable.Discuss
2.Africa is rich in natural resource endowment,but such natural resource are not equally distributed in space.Why?
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infact dis is wonderful stuf,so helpful.God bless 4 dat wisdom.pls if possible I need “Natural Resource Management.all same thanks alot
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rashid can you help me with some information about my project that is documentation on natural resources!!!!!!!!!!!! plzzzzz
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plzzz send me reply
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a well written topic…
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@Rohit.Thanks and Welcome to my Blog.
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Thank you very much! This has helped me to get the basic idea on natural resources in my school holiday assignment! Thanks a bunch!
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Thanks for information about resoure classification………:D
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i want to be conated
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thnx alot sir,i must say a gr8 shrt note ….
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thanks alot!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Good and educative
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Thanx. Welcome to my Blog.
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good info and classification
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Thanks and Welcome
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Hey, rashid thnxs alot. this has hlpd me to get more infrmtionts on my project wrk
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excellent work try to go another level
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Hey Rashid, really cool stuff…… and informative……….. Thanks a lot.:-)
Regards…..
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great job. i like it most of all .i need information on current issues regarding nrm
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@saad.Thanks and Welcome.
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thanks a lot..:-)
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thanks
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mujhe project karna tha
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thank it helped me lot
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hey u done a great job i appreciate u keep it up
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very good INFORMATION
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Very useful&enjoyable,thanks
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thanx frnd it helped me to prepare project of my school
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You are Welcome.Keep Visiting.
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heyyyy….thnxxxx alot it help me vry much to mke my project easyyyyy:))
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This is very important for me to inform natural resources
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thanks your information……
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thanks your information…..
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Does your site have a contact page? I’m having a
tough time locating it but, I’d like to shoot you an e-mail.
I’ve got some ideas for your blog you might be interested in
hearing. Either way, great website and I look forward to seeing it expand over time.
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it was nice . it had the information i needed but it was same as the other websites
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Hey rashid ,
Thanks for ur stuff .I wanted it for my project
I searched in wikipidea but could, nt find much . It is nice to learn about natural resources
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Thanks Yash
Keep visiting
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This is a very good tip especially to those new to the blogosphere.
Short but very precise information… Thank you for sharing this
one. A must read article!
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What’s up, the whole thing is going perfectly here and ofcourse every one is sharing data,
that’s in fact good, keep up writing.
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Thanks for definition but not info.
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Nice information. Helped me. Thanks!!!!!!!
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Thanks nice information
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good information. It is nice to learn about natural resources.
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nice
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its cool
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It’s great! I goes to all Internet but it was the first in wich I learn more abut natural resources
Thanks:
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thankss a lot…….this infor helped me a lot in doing mah pro…..
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Is very interesting
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very good Mr. Rashid
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the notes are suitable and durable congraturatoin Rashid
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I love this site
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Thanks a lot we really appreciate your efforts and concerned
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Importance and need of classifying resources
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Thanks for help
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