Natural Resources

In the words of the late President Roosevelt, “The conservation of natural resources is the fundamental problem. Unless we solve that problem, it will avail us little to solve all others”. However, in order to preserve them, it is imperative to understand the different classifications of natural resources. Natural resources are copiously found all over the earth and are commonly used by man for survival, protection, comfort, shelter etc. Natural resources are classified on the basis of renewable, non-renewable, biotic, abiotic, recyclable and non-recyclable divisions. Although these resources exist freely in the environment, for the purpose of identification these are divided into three categories; renewability, distribution and origin. Natural resources occur within the geographical boundaries in all countries, and include minerals, land, air, water, flora and fauna. What people don’t realize is that everything that is used by man in his everyday life is actually derived from the natural resources available outside. For example, the wood that we get from the tree or the milk that comes from cows are all natural resources that are utilized by humans for daily survival. The only difference is that man processes these natural resources before using them. For the purpose of better understanding, the different types and classifications of natural resources are further explained below.