CAPE Environmental Science

UNIT 1 – MODULE 3
Sustainable Use and Management of Natural Resources

1. KEY TERMS & CONCEPTS

Natural resources
●​ Definition: Materials or features from nature that humans use for survival, economic
activity, or wellbeing.
●​ Explanation: They occur naturally and are not created by humans, but are extracted
or used for development.
●​ Examples: water, soil, forests, oil, fish, minerals
●​ Caribbean examples: oil (Trinidad), bauxite (Jamaica), gold (Guyana)

Natural resource management

●​ Definition: The planned and controlled use of natural resources to ensure they are
available for present and future generations.
●​ Explanation: It balances use (economic gain) with protection (environmental
sustainability).
●​ Example: fishing limits to prevent fish population collapse.

Conservation
●​ Definition: The careful protection and sustainable use of natural resources to prevent
depletion.
●​ Explanation: Allows use but in a controlled way so resources are not exhausted.

In-situ conservation
●​ Protection of species in their natural habitat
●​ Example: marine parks protecting coral reefs

Ex-situ conservation
●​ Protection outside natural habitat
●​ Example: zoos, botanical gardens, seed banks

Restoration
●​ Definition: Returning a damaged ecosystem to its original condition.
●​ Explanation: Focuses on rebuilding biodiversity and ecosystem structure.
●​ Example: replanting mangroves in destroyed coastal areas.

Rehabilitation
●​ Definition: Improving a degraded ecosystem so it becomes functional again.
●​ Explanation: It may not return to its original condition but can still support life.
●​ Example: restoring mined lands with vegetation cover.
Preservation
●​ Definition: Complete protection of an ecosystem with no human interference.
●​ Explanation: Focus is to keep nature untouched.
●​ Example: strict nature reserves where logging is banned.

Remediation
●​ Definition: Removing or reducing pollution from a contaminated environment.
●​ Explanation: Used to clean damaged soil, air, or water.
●​ Example: cleaning oil spills using chemical or biological methods.

Re-creation
●​ Definition: Artificial reconstruction of ecosystems or habitats.
●​ Example: artificial coral reefs built to support marine life.

Protection
●​ Definition: Legal and physical measures used to prevent damage to natural resources.
●​ Example: environmental laws against illegal logging.

Sustainable use
●​ Definition: Using resources at a rate that allows natural regeneration.
●​ Explanation: Ensures resources are not depleted.
●​ Example: harvesting timber at controlled rates.

2. CATEGORIES OF NATURAL RESOURCES

Renewable resources
●​ Definition: Resources that can naturally regenerate over time.
●​ Explanation: Can be depleted if overused.
●​ Examples: forests, fish, freshwater, wind, solar energy

Non-renewable resources
●​ Definition: Resources that take millions of years to form and cannot be replaced
quickly.
●​ Explanation: Once used, they are gone permanently.
●​ Examples: oil, gas, coal, minerals

Exhaustible resources
●​ Definition: Resources that can be used up completely.
●​ Examples: forests, fish stocks, fossil fuels

Inexhaustible resources
●​ Definition: Resources that are not depleted by human use.
●​ Examples: sunlight, wind, tides
3. CONSUMPTIVE VS NON-CONSUMPTIVE USE
Consumptive use
●​ Definition: Resource is removed or destroyed during use.
●​ Explanation: Reduces quantity of resources available.
●​ Examples: logging, fishing, mining, quarrying

Non-consumptive use
●​ Definition: Resource is used without being removed or destroyed.
●​ Explanation: Resource remains available after use.
●​ Examples: ecotourism, research, bird watching

Technology + time
●​ Technology increases the speed/scale of resource extraction.
●​ Example: industrial fishing nets increase fish catch dramatically.

4. NATURAL RESOURCES IN THE CARIBBEAN

Biodiversity
●​ Definition: Variety of life at species, genetic, and ecosystem levels.
Species diversity
●​ Number of different species in an area
Genetic diversity
●​ Variation within a species
Ecosystem diversity
●​ Variety of ecosystems in a region
●​ Caribbean ecosystems:
○​ forests (terrestrial)
○​ rivers/lakes (freshwater)
○​ coral reefs, mangroves (marine/coastal)

Water resources
●​ Groundwater: water stored underground in aquifers
●​ Surface water: rivers, lakes, streams, oceans
●​ Waterfalls: tourism + hydroelectric potential

Minerals & hydrocarbons

●​ Bauxite (Jamaica)
●​ Oil & gas (Trinidad & Tobago)
●​ Gold (Guyana)
●​ Limestone, sand, gravel

Soil, landscape & seascape

●​ Includes beaches, mountains, cliffs, valleys
●​ Supports agriculture, tourism, biodiversity
5. IMPORTANCE OF NATURAL RESOURCES
●​ Livelihoods → jobs in farming, fishing, tourism
●​ GDP contribution → national income generation
●​ Foreign exchange → exports earn foreign currency
●​ Food security → agriculture + fisheries
●​ Raw materials → industry input
●​ Recreation → tourism, beaches, diving
●​ Sacred value → cultural/spiritual significance
●​ Ecosystem services → climate regulation, water purification
●​ Intrinsic value → nature has value in itself
●​ Research/education → scientific study

6. INDIGENOUS RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Agriculture
●​ Slash-and-burn with rotation → allows soil recovery
●​ Intercropping → reduces pests, improves soil
●​ Organic fertilisers → manure, compost

Forest use
●​ Timber extraction (controlled)
●​ Non-timber products: fruits, herbs, fibres, medicine

Fishing
●​ Traditional methods: traps, lines, small nets
●​ Low environmental damage compared to industrial fishing

7. FACTORS AFFECTING RESOURCE USE

Natural endowment
●​ Availability of resources in a country
●​ Example: oil in Trinidad & Tobago

Political factors
●​ Government policies control resource use
●​ Environmental laws regulate exploitation
●​ Green budgeting funds environmental protection

Economic factors
●​ Foreign investment increases extraction
●​ Export of raw materials generates income
●​ Tourism/mining/agriculture dominate Caribbean economies
●​ National debt pressures resource exploitation
Social factors
●​ Education influences environmental awareness
●​ Migration affects labour availability
●​ Crime/conflict disrupts resource management
●​ Attitudes affect conservation behaviour

8. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
Biodiversity
●​ Exotic species introduction → disrupt ecosystems (lionfish)
●​ Species extinction → overhunting/overfishing
●​ Habitat destruction → deforestation
●​ Ecosystem disruption → food chain imbalance

Water
●​ Pollution → sewage, chemicals
●​ Groundwater depletion → overuse of aquifers
●​ Waterborne diseases → contaminated water
●​ Watershed damage → deforestation increases runoff

Minerals & hydrocarbons

●​ Deforestation
●​ Land transformation
●​ Dust/noise pollution
●​ Oil spills
●​ Sedimentation of rivers
●​ Community displacement

Soil & coastal systems

●​ Soil erosion reduces fertility
●​ Beach erosion from sand mining/coastal development
●​ Coral reef destruction from pollution & warming
●​ Mangrove loss reduces coastal protection

Human health impacts

●​ Toxic exposure
●​ Respiratory illness
●​ Waterborne diseases

9. NEED FOR CONSERVATION

Ecological reasons
●​ Prevent resource depletion
●​ Maintain ecosystem stability
●​ Protect biodiversity
Ethical reasons
●​ Humans have responsibility to protect nature
●​ Species have right to exist (intrinsic value)

Aesthetic reasons
●​ Natural beauty supports tourism and wellbeing

10. MANAGEMENT AT INDIVIDUAL & COMMUNITY LEVEL

Individual actions
●​ Lifestyle changes (reduce consumption)
●​ Use substitutes (renewable energy, reusable items)
●​ Eco-friendly technology (energy efficient appliances)

Community actions
●​ Sustainable yield harvesting
●​ Community monitoring of resources
●​ Recycling and waste reduction programs

11. NATIONAL MANAGEMENT (EXPLAINED)

Policies
●​ Governments control how resources are used
Economic instruments
●​ Taxes → discourage pollution
●​ User fees → pay for resource use
●​ Fines → punish illegal activity
●​ Polluter Pays Principle → polluter pays cleanup costs
●​ Incentives → reward sustainable practices
●​ Environmental valuation → assign monetary value to ecosystems
●​ Environmental accounting → include environmental costs in GDP
●​ Green budgeting → government funding for environmental protection

Legislation
●​ Protected areas (IUCN classification) → protect ecosystems and biodiversity
●​ Environmental laws → regulate pollution, resource extraction

Planning tools
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
●​ Study done BEFORE projects
●​ Predicts environmental damage
●​ Suggests mitigation measures
Land use planning
●​ Organises land into zones (industrial, residential, conservation)
Integrated Coastal Zone Management
●​ Manages coastal areas sustainably
●​ Balances tourism, fishing, conservation
Public education
●​ Raises awareness (Agenda 21)
●​ Encourages behavioural change

12. INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT (EXPLAINED)

MEAs (Multilateral Environmental Agreements)
●​ Agreements between countries to solve environmental problems
●​ Include rules, goals, and monitoring systems

Key agreements
UNFCCC
●​ Tackles climate change
●​ Reduces greenhouse gas emissions
Kyoto Protocol
●​ Sets emission reduction targets
Paris Agreement
●​ Global temperature control goals
UNCCD
●​ Fights desertification and land degradation
MARPOL
●​ Prevents marine pollution from ships
CBD
●​ Protects biodiversity globally
Cartagena Convention
●​ Protects Caribbean marine environment
Ramsar Convention
●​ Protects wetlands
UNCLOS
●​ Governs ocean use and marine resources
SPAW
●​ Protects Caribbean species and habitats
13. DATA PRESENTATION
●​ Line graphs → trends over time
●​ Bar graphs → comparisons
●​ Scatter plots → relationships
●​ Pie charts → proportions
Requirements:
●​ title
●​ labelled axes
●​ scale
●​ units
●​ table headings

14. DATA INTERPRETATION

●​ Read values from graphs
●​ Identify trends/patterns
●​ Estimate rates of change
●​ Interpolation → estimate within range
●​ Extrapolation → predict beyond range