Natural resource

A natural resource may exist as a separate entity such as freshwater, air, or any living organism such as a fish, or it may be transformed by extractivist industries into an economically useful form that must be processed to obtain the resource such as metal ores, rare-earth elements, petroleum, timber and most forms of energy.

Resource extraction is also a major source of human rights violations and environmental damage.

Examples of extractive industries are hunting, trapping, mining, oil and gas drilling, and forestry.

Extractive industries represent a large growing activity in many less-developed countries but the wealth generated does not always lead to sustainable and inclusive growth.

People often accuse extractive industry businesses as acting only to maximize short-term value, implying that less-developed countries are vulnerable to powerful corporations.

These present opportunities for international governmental agencies to engage with the private sector and host governments through revenue management and expenditure accountability, infrastructure development, employment creation, skills and enterprise development, and impacts on children, especially girls and women.

[8] A strong civil society can play an important role in ensuring the effective management of natural resources.

Norway can serve as a role model in this regard as it has good institutions and open and dynamic public debate with strong civil society actors that provide an effective checks and balances system for the government's management of extractive industries, such as the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), a global standard for the good governance of oil, gas and mineral resources.

[10] In recent years, the depletion of natural resources has become a major focus of governments and organizations such as the United Nations (UN).

[12] The term sustainable development has many interpretations, most notably the Brundtland Commission's 'to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs';[13] however, in broad terms it is balancing the needs of the planet's people and species now and in the future.

[11] In regards to natural resources, depletion is of concern for sustainable development as it has the ability to degrade current environments[14] and the potential to impact the needs of future generations.

This is seen in the cited quote given by Theodore Roosevelt, a well-known conservationist and former United States president, who was opposed to unregulated natural resource extraction.

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.

The disciplines of fisheries, forestry, and wildlife are examples of large subdisciplines of natural resource management.

The rainforest in Amazon, in the Marquesas Islands , is an example of an undisturbed natural resource. Forest provides timber for humans, food, water and shelter for the flora and fauna tribes and animals. The nutrient cycle between organisms forms food chains and fosters a biodiversity of species.
The Carson Fall in Mount Kinabalu , Malaysia is an example of undisturbed natural resources. Waterfalls provide spring water for humans, animals and plants for survival and habitat for marine organisms. The water current can be used to turn turbines for hydroelectric generation .
The ocean is an example of a natural resource. Ocean waves can be used to generate wave power , a renewable energy source. Ocean water is important for salt production , desalination , and providing habitat for deep-water fishes. There is biodiversity of marine species in the sea where nutrient cycles are common.
A picture of the Udachnaya pipe , an open-pit diamond mine in Siberia . An example of a non-renewable natural resource.
Victoria Nile waters as one of Uganda's key natural resources
The waters of the White Nile River are a key natural resource for Uganda .
Wind is a natural resource that can be used to generate electricity, as with these 5 MW wind turbines in Thorntonbank Wind Farm 28 km (17 mi) off the coast of Belgium .