natural resources assignment

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Lesson 1: natural resources on earth.

Grade Levels

Planet Earth

Lesson Plans / Activities

This 5-E lesson plan helps students identify natural resources on Earth, natural resources that help seeds and plants grow, and plants that provide food for humans. Student sheets include booklets that students complete and assemble about Natural Environment, Seeds on Our Earth, and Plants. Rubrics and national education standards are also included. Lesson 1: Natural Resources on Earth  [742KB PDF file] This lesson plan is part of the Moon Munchies Educator Guide .

Forestry/Natural Resources Lesson Plans (9-12)

Keywords: sustainable forestry, silviculture, forest management; Grade Level: ninth and tenth grade (high school); Total Time for Lesson: 43 minutes; Setting: classroom

Keywords: dendrology, simple, compound, alternate, opposite, entire, toothed, lobed, deciduous, coniferous; Lesson Plan Grade Level: ninth through twelfth grade; Total Time Required for Lesson: one class period; Setting: This lesson is meant to be a follow-up to a lesson on the basic terminology and concepts necessary for dendrology. Students should be taken to an area that has a variety of different tree species

Keywords: forest history, reading the land, iron production, hot-blast furnace; Grade Level: ninth through twelfth grade (could be modified for college students); Total Time Required for Lesson: 50 minutes as one continuous time block; Setting: forested area near old iron furnace (adapted for the Monroe Furnace site)

Keywords: growth rings, cookie, sapwood, cambium, outer bark, heartwood, pith; Lesson Plan Grade Level: ninth through twelfth grade; Total Time Required for Lesson: 30 minutes of explanation and examples, teacher can decide on length of time to give students to research topic, one week from date of assignment given; Setting: an area where they can research historical events, computer lab works great for this lesson but sometimes makes the lesson easier for the students to complete because they can find a time line that can be cut and pasted.

Keywords: Archeology, local history, forest history, reading the land, Cooper Settlement; Lesson Plan Grade Level: ninth through twelfth grade; Total Time Required for Lesson: two class periods; Setting: local forested historic site (adapted for the Cooper Settlement, Drifting, PA)

Keywords: alternate, opposite, whorled, simple, compound, leaf arrangement; Lesson Plan Grade Level: ninth through twelfth grade; Total Time Required for Lesson: minimum 30 minutes, may expand to two or three class periods according to depth and amount of repetition to be sure students truly understand the concepts; Setting: This activity probably works best outdoors, ideally in an open area adjacent to a variety of different tree species. It can be adapted to areas of less species diversity or even inside a classroom if necessary by bringing a variety of different samples to the program site.

Keywords: cambium, springwood, summerwood, annual ring; Lesson Plan Grade Level: ninth through twelfth grade; Total Time Required for Lesson: 2 hours in 2 days (1 hour each day); Setting: shop or laboratory area

Keywords: Compaction, Cultivation, Habit, Rate, Resistant, Susceptible, Tolerant; Lesson Plan Grade Level: ninth through twelfth grade; Total Time Required for Lesson: 3 hours (four or five 42-minute class periods); Setting: parking/common areas on school grounds.

Keywords: media, rooting hormone, hardwood cutting, softwood cutting; Lesson Plan Grade Level: ninth through twelfth grade; Total Time Required for Lesson: 50 minutes; Setting: courtyard or area where trees or shrubs can be found, and classroom

Keywords: sustainable forestry, forest sustainability, forest harvesting, forest regeneration, interfering plants, overstory structure, high grading, stand age structure, stand vertical structure; Grade Level: ninth through twelfth grade and adults; Total Time Required for Lesson: 90 to 120 minutes; Setting: forest stand with small to large sawtimber trees (12 to 18 inches and larger), some overstory species diversity is desirable, nearby a stand with recent harvesting

Keywords: simple, compound, alternate, opposite, whorled, entire, toothed, lobed, deciduous, coniferous; Lesson Plan Grade Level: ninth through twelfth grade; Total Time Required for Lesson: 1 or more periods (repetition is good to check understanding and retention); Setting: This lesson is intended to be a way of reinforcing knowledge gained in the basic dendrology units. It can also be an excellent way of evaluating retention of and understanding of basic dendrology principles.

Keywords: Biltmore stick, board feet, DBH, hardwood; Lesson Plan Grade Level: ninth through twelfth grade; Time Required: 2 hours; Setting: Outdoor Woodlot on Campus

Keywords: orienteering, topographic map, compass, bearing; Lesson Plan Grade Level: tenth through twelfth grade ecology/natural resource management class; Total Time Required for Lesson: two 70-minute blocks (can be modified to fit different times); Setting: classroom and outdoors in a nearby forest

Keywords: forest products, tree measures, forestry tools; Grade Level: tenth through twelfth grade; Total Time for Lesson: five standard (40- to 45-minute) class periods; Setting: classroom and mature forest, wooded park, or older tree-lined residential neighborhood

Keywords: sustainability, silviculture, clearcut, shelterwood; Lesson Plan Grade Level: tenth through twelfth ecology/natural resource management class; Total Time Required for Lesson: 70-minute block (can be modified to fit different times); Setting: classroom

Keywords: forest products, renewable, non-timber, energy, ecology, environment, recreation; Grade Level: eleventh and twelfth grade; Total Time for Lesson: two class periods of 45 minutes; Setting: classroom

Keywords: forest management, biodiversity, watershed management, timber harvesting, wildlife management; Grade Level: eleventh and twelfth grade; Time Required: 40 minutes (one class period); Setting: library media center

Keywords: trees, logging, forest management, federal land use, ethics, politics; Grade Level: eleventh and twelfth grade; Time Required: 40 minutes (one class period); Setting: library media center

Keywords: charcoal, booms, splash dams, tannery, erosion, Great Depression, CCC, eco-tourism; Grade Level: eleventh and twelfth grade, could be adapted to college students; Total Time Required for Lesson: two 40-minute class periods; Setting: classroom

Keywords: urban forestry, community forestry, tree identification, keying, mapping; Lesson Plan Grade Level: twelfth grade; Class Size: 20 students; Total Time Required For Lesson: 3 hours (can be continuous or fragmented); Setting: downtown area, park, arboretum, or large school campus with a minimum of 20 healthy tree species

Keywords: urban forestry, community forestry, function, aesthetics, values; Lesson Plan Grade Level: twelfth grade; Class Size: 20 students; Total Time Required for Lesson: 50 minutes as one continuous time block; Setting: classroom

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What are Natural Resources

Natural resources are raw materials found on and below the Earth’s surface. They are naturally occurring materials formed without any human intervention.

Examples of Natural Resources

Earth’s most common natural resources are sunlight, air, water, soil, stone, plants, animals, and fossil fuels. They are essential for humanity to fulfill necessities like food, building, and clothing. They produce electricity, fuel for transportation, and make fertilizers.

However, items such as plastic goods, metal bodies, fabrics, and concrete are not natural resources but are obtained from them.

How Do We Use Natural Resources

Below are some significant natural resources found on Earth and how we use them for our needs.

Types of Natural Resources

There are two ways of classifying natural resources.

Based on Their Availability

Natural resources are of two types, based on their availability.

1. Renewable Resources

Renewable resources are resources that are renewed during our lifetime. They are available to us in abundance. However, the rate at which they are renewed may differ. Sunlight, air, water, plants, and animals are some examples of renewable resources on Earth.

Renewable resources are of two types: perpetually renewable and intermediate renewable resources.

Perpetually renewable resources are constantly replenished by the Sun’s and Earth’s natural processes, no matter how much energy we use each day or over a period. Solar energy is the best example. Its energy is used for almost all activities, from plant -producing food to running a windmill or ocean currents.

In contrast, intermediate renewable resources last only if we use them judiciously. They are resources like freshwater used for drinking, the soil we live in, trees for timber, and plants and animals for food.

2. Non-renewable Resources

Non-renewable resources are those natural resources that cannot be readily renewed by natural means quickly enough. They are available in limited quantities and thus can get exhausted with time. Fossil fuels, such as coal, petroleum, heavy oils, and natural gas, are non-renewable resources.

Based on Their Source

Natural resources are of two types, based on their source:

1. Biotic Resources

Biotic resources are resources derived from the living things of the biosphere . They include plants, animals, and fossil fuels. 

2. Abiotic Resources

Abiotic resources are resources obtained from nonliving and inorganic materials. Sunlight, air, water, and minerals like gold, silver, copper, and aluminum are all abiotic resources.

Why are Natural Resources Important

Natural resources are the source of food for all living organisms on Earth. Plants (autotrophs) are the primary natural resource on Earth for all other organisms (heterotrophs). Animals rely directly or indirectly on plants for their food. Some animals are also a food source for other animals, like lions prey on deer.

Both plants and animals provide raw materials for manufactured products. For example, leather bags and belts come from cows, cotton garments from plants, and silk garments from silkworms.

Natural resources like coal, natural gas, and oil provide electricity, run nuclear power plants, and are used as cooking fuel. Water is used to run thermal power plants.

Depletion of Natural Resources

Overutilization of non-renewable natural resources like coal, petroleum, and natural gas can deplete them faster due to their slow recovery rate. Thus, we must judiciously use and protect such resources so that they can last long. Also, we must replace them with renewable sources like solar, wind, and water for energy.

Ans. No. Plastic is not a natural resource.

• What are natural resources? – Alaska.edu
• Natural Resources – Fs.usda.gov
• What Are Natural Resources? – Study.com
• Natural Resources – Scdhec.gov

Article was last reviewed on Saturday, February 11, 2023

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Natural Resources

Natural Resources introduces students to the variety of substances that exist naturally in the world. Students will discover how humans use these resources for various purposes. They will also learn how to categorize resources in three different ways.

There are several suggestions in the “Options for Lesson” section that you can take advantage of during your lesson. One such suggestion is to go outside with your students and let them identify various natural resources. Another idea is to have students research a specific type of natural resource and present to the class.

Description

Additional information, what our natural resources lesson plan includes.

Lesson Objectives and Overview: Natural Resources explores the various resources that the Earth provides. Students will learn the different between renewable and nonrenewable resources. They will also be able to list examples that fall into each category. This lesson is for students in 4th grade, 5th grade, and 6th grade.

Classroom Procedure

Every lesson plan provides you with a classroom procedure page that outlines a step-by-step guide to follow. You do not have to follow the guide exactly. The guide helps you organize the lesson and details when to hand out worksheets. It also lists information in the yellow box that you might find useful. You will find the lesson objectives, state standards, and number of class sessions the lesson should take to complete in this area. In addition, it describes the supplies you will need as well as what and how you need to prepare beforehand. For this lesson, make sure you bring several items for the lesson opening.

Options for Lesson

This section of the classroom procedure page provides a number of suggestions for ideas or activities to incorporate into the lesson. A few relate specifically to the activity portion. For instance, you could have students work in pairs for the activity. You could also include additional photos for them to use. Students could complete an activity chart using items they find at home. Another suggestion is to take students outdoors to identify items that fall into each of the categories. Divide students into groups and assign each one a category of resources to research and later present to the class. One more idea is to give each students an item and have them figure out which type of resource it is. You can then rotate the items around the room.

Teacher Notes

The teacher notes page provides an extra paragraph of information or guidance as to what to expect from the lesson plan. It suggests incorporating a discussion on protecting Earth’s resources or on environment issues that world leaders face. The blank lines provide some space for you to write out any ideas or thoughts you have as you prepare.

NATURAL RESOURCES LESSON PLAN CONTENT PAGES

What are natural resources.

The Natural Resources lesson plan contains a total of three content pages. The lesson starts off by describing how people use many of the things that surround them. We use oil in our vehicles, soil and water in our gardens, and wood for building houses. Students will discover that the origin of all these things is in nature itself.

Anything we use that comes from nature is a natural resource. A lot of these things are essential or helpful to our survival, such as land, forests, animals, rocks, fossil fuels, and minerals. Human beings did not create these items. On the contrary, they have always been a part of the Earth. Humans simply use them quite often.

Many natural resources connect to each other. Water, for example, is one natural resource that is incredibly important. A limited supply of water would affect other resources, such as animals and plants. It would not just affect human beings.

Natural resources can be consumed directly or indirectly. An animal eating a plant is an example of direct consumption. However, the trees of a forest indirectly act as a means of climate control, flood control, and storm protection. On the other hand, the same trees could be used as raw materials for building houses or furniture.

Categories of Natural Resources

Students will learn about the three main ways to categorize natural resources: organic or inorganic, renewable or nonrenewable, and metallic or nonmetallic. Organic resources are those that come from living things. Examples include trees and plants, animals, single-celled organisms, and other living things. Nonorganic resources come from non-living things, like rocks, wind, or sunlight.

All resources are either renewable or nonrenewable. Renewable resources are always available and can easily be replaced or recovered. This includes animals, water, wind, and a few others. Nonrenewable resources, however, are not easily replaced. Fossil fuels like oil and natural gas are a major example of nonrenewable resources. Minerals form naturally, but replacing them takes thousands of years because of the process of the rock cycle.

Finally, students will learn the difference between metallic and nonmetallic resources. A metallic resource is one that contains metal, is shiny and hard, and can be melted to form other products. Copper, tin, gold, and iron are examples of metallic resources. On the opposite end are nonmetallic resources that contain no metal and tend to be softer and not shiny. Clay and coal are nonmetallic resources.

Using Natural Resources

The lesson explains that finding natural resources is easy because they exist all over the world. They provide many benefits from food and drink to farm products to medicines and more. We use natural resources for transportation in cars, boats, trains, planes, and many others. One of the main uses of any number of natural resources relates to building structures like homes, roads, and other construction. We also use them for energy to heat and cool homes and businesses.

Natural resources exist freely in nature. We categorize them in different ways and have found many beneficial uses for them. The lesson ends by asking students what natural resource they would miss the most if it no longer existed. This could be a great opportunity to discuss the impact various resources have on the Earth and its inhabitants.

NATURAL RESOURCES LESSON PLAN WORKSHEETS

The Natural Resources lesson plan includes three worksheets: an activity worksheet, a practice worksheet, and a homework assignment. Each one will help solidify students’ grasp of the lesson material and help students demonstrate their knowledge in different ways. The guidelines on the classroom procedure page outline when to hand out each worksheet throughout the lesson.

IDENTIFY THE CATEGORY ACTIVITY WORKSHEET

For the activity, students will review two images. Using the chart on the worksheet, they will list as many items as they can think of based on the photos. These items can be visible (like a table) or invisible (like air). There are six columns that list the various categories of resources that the items might represent. Students will write an X in the columns that each item matches. There is an answer key for this worksheet that lists items with the accompanying X’s for reference. For instance, for the item of water, students should place an X in the renewable, inorganic, and non-metallic columns.

FILL IN THE BLANK PRACTICE WORKSHEET

The practice worksheet requires students to read a passage about nonrenewable resources. There are 20 blanks throughout the passage and a word bank with 20 terms. Students must fill in the blanks using the options in the word bank.

NATURAL RESOURCES HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

There are two sections of the homework assignment. The first section requires students to match definitions with their correct terms. There are 10 definitions and 10 corresponding terms listed in a word bank. For the second section, students must look at three subsections of resources. They will mark items in the first section as renewable (R) or nonrenewable (N). Next, they will mark items in the second section as either organic (O) or inorganic (I). Finally, they will mark whether items in the last section are metallic (M) or nonmetallic (N).

Worksheet Answer Keys

The last three pages of the lesson plan document are answer keys for the three worksheets. All the correct answers are in red to make it easy to compare them to students’ work. The answer key for the activity provides many examples of items students may find in the pictures. Students’ responses may vary from those on this key. However, their work should mirror the answers on the practice and homework answer keys. If you choose to administer the lesson pages to your students via PDF, you will need to save a new file that omits these pages. Otherwise, you can simply print out the applicable pages and keep these as reference for yourself when grading assignments.

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7th grade - unit 4: earth's natural resources.

7th Grade Unit 4: Earth's Natural Resources Roadmap

  This page hosts Unit 4: Earth's Natural Resources, and a roadmap of the 3 subunits that will be covered.

Subunit 1: The Formation of Natural Resources

Below you will view and download:

🟦 Subunit Assessment Opportunities 

🟦 5E Lesson Sequence

Subunit 1: Assessment Opportunities

Subunit 1 Assessment Opportunites

View and download (by making a copy)- Subunit 1 Assessments

What should my students know and be able to do? What should I prioritize?

Subunit 1: 5E Lesson Sequence

Subunit description, 📂  download all lessons at one time for unit 4: subunit 1 from this folder.  📂.

In this subunit, students construct an explanation about how geoscience processes have created an unequal distribution of natural resources on Earth. They focus on the formation of oil, minerals and metals, and groundwater. Students apply what they learn to their Culminating Projects by considering the formation of the natural resources used to make the different types of materials selected for the utensil.

Subunit 2: Synthetic Materials

Subunit 2: Assessment Opportunities

Subunit 2 Assessment Opportunites

View and download (by making a copy)- Subunit 2 Assessments

Subunit 2: 5e lesson sequence, 📂  download all lessons at one time for unit 4: subunit 2 from this folder.  📂.

In this subunit, students will gather and analyze information about how synthetic materials are made from natural resources. They will also consider the pros and cons of using natural and synthetic materials to meet our needs.

Subunit 3: Maintaining Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

Subunit 3: Assessment Opportunities

Subunit 3 Assessment Opportunites

View and download (by making a copy)- Subunit 3 Assessments

📂  download all lessons at one time for unit 4: subunit 3 from this folder.   📂.

In this subunit, students explore the concepts of biodiversity and ecosystem services. This concept helps them understand that all natural resources used to meet our needs and wants come from ecosystems. They analyze life cycle diagrams and Life Cycle Assessment tables to determine which type of material would have the least impact on ecosystem services. Students apply what they learn to come up with a recommendation for the best type of material for utensils to use in San Francisco Unified School District cafeterias based on that material’s impact on ecosystem services.

Unit 4: Earth's Natural Resources Documents

Below you will view and download: Unit Plan, Standards, Culminating Project Assessments and Rubrics, Common Misconceptions, Materials, Unit 0: Lift-Off Lessons and Resources.

7.4 Earth's Natural Resources: Overview

Overview  

Through investigations, students consider how natural resources are formed, obtained, and used by humans. Students also consider the impact their use of natural resources has on biodiversity and ecosystems. In Subunit 1, students construct an explanation about how geoscience processes have created an unequal distribution of natural resources on Earth. In Subunit 2, students gather and analyze information about how synthetic materials are made from natural resources. They also consider the pros and cons of using natural and synthetic materials to meet our needs. In Subunit 3, students learn about how biodiversity and ecosystem services provide benefits to all species, including humans. In the Culminating Project, they consider what type of material should be used to make utensils for San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) cafeterias. Currently, the food services department at SFUSD provides each school cafeteria with traditional plastic sporks and knives. Students consider whether to change to metal or biodegradable plastic utensils or to keep the plastic ones. To evaluate each choice, students consider four criteria: human needs, conserving natural resources, maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services, and cost.

For the Group Culminating Project, students work together to prepare a presentation on what materials they think would be best to make the eating utensils used in SFUSD cafeterias. The presentation addresses conserving natural resources and maintaining biodiversity and ecosystems. For the Individual Culminating Project, each student writes a feedback letter about a group's presentation.

7.4 Earth's Natural Resources: Unit Plan

Unit 4: Earth's Natural Resources - Unit Plan

View and download (by making a copy) of Unit 4 Plan

“Disciplinary Core Ideas, Science and Engineering Practices, and Crosscutting Concepts” are reproduced verbatim from A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/13165. National Research Council; Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education; Board on Science Education; Committee on a Conceptual Framework for New K-12 Science Education Standards. National Academies Press, Washington, DC. This material may be reproduced for noncommercial purposes and used by other parties with this attribution. If the original material is altered in any way, the attribution must state that the material is adapted from the original. All other rights reserved.

7.4 Earth's Natural Resources: Standards

Earth's Natural Resources

  View and download (by making a copy) of 7.4 Standards

Next Generation Science Standards Performance Expectations

NGSS Lead States. 2013. Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

ESS3.A: Natural Resources

• Humans depend on Earth’s land, ocean, atmosphere, and biosphere for many different resources. Minerals, fresh water, and biosphere resources are limited, and many are not renewable or replaceable over human lifetimes. These resources are distributed unevenly around the planet as a result of past geologic processes. (MS-ESS3-1)

PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter

• Each pure substance has characteristic physical and chemical properties (for any bulk quantity under given conditions) that can be used to identify it. (MS-PS1-3)

PS1.B: Chemical Reactions

• Substances react chemically in characteristic ways. In a chemical process, the atoms that make up the original substances are regrouped into different molecules, and these new substances have different properties from those of the reactants. (MS-PS1-3)

ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions

• There are systematic processes for evaluating solutions with respect to how well they meet the criteria and constraints of a problem. (MS-ETS1-2) (MS-LS2-5)

LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience

• Biodiversity describes the variety of species found in Earth’s terrestrial and oceanic ecosystems. The completeness or integrity of an ecosystem’s biodiversity is often used as a measure of its health. (MS-LS2-5)

LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans

• Changes in biodiversity can influence humans’ resources, such as food, energy, and medicines, as well as ecosystem services that humans rely on—for example, water purification and recycling. (MS-LS2-5)

Science and Engineering Practices

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

• Constructing explanations and designing solutions in 6–8 builds on K–5 experiences and progresses to include constructing explanations and designing solutions supported by multiple sources of evidence consistent with scientific ideas, principles, and theories.
• Construct a scientific explanation based on valid and reliable evidence obtained from sources (including the students’ own experiments) and the assumption that theories and laws that describe the natural world operate today as they did in the past and will continue to do so in the future. (MS-ESS3-1)

*Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information (Focal Practice)

• Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information in 6–8 builds on K–5 and progresses to evaluating the merit and validity of ideas and methods.
• Gather, read, and synthesize information from multiple appropriate sources and assess the credibility, accuracy, and possible bias of each publication and methods used, and describe how they are supported or now supported by evidence. (MS-PS1-3)

Asking Questions and Defining Problems

• Asking questions and defining problems in grades 6–8 builds from grades K–5 experiences and progresses to specifying relationships between variables, and clarifying arguments and models.
• Ask questions that can be investigated within the scope of the classroom, outdoor environment, and museums and other public facilities with available resources and, when appropriate, frame a hypothesis based on observations and scientific principles. (MS-PS2-3)

Engaging in Argument from Evidence

• Engaging in argument from evidence in 6–8 builds from K–5 experiences and progresses to constructing a convincing argument that supports or refutes claims for either explanations or solutions about the natural and designed world.
• Evaluate competing design solutions based on jointly developed and agreed-upon design criteria. (MS-ETS1-2) (MS-LS2-5)

Crosscutting Concepts

*Cause and Effect (Focal Crosscutting Concept)

• Cause and effect relationships may be used to predict phenomena in natural or designed systems. (MS-ESS3-1)

Structure and Function

• Structures can be designed to serve particular functions by taking into account properties of different materials, and how materials can be shaped and used. (MS-PS1-3)  

Stability and Change

• Small changes in one part of a system might cause large changes in another part. (MS-LS2-5)

Connections to the Nature of Science 

  Science Addresses Questions About the Natural and Material World

Scientific knowledge can describe the consequences of actions but does not necessarily prescribe the decisions that society takes. (MS-LS2-5)

Connections to Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science

Interdependence of Science, Engineering, and Technology 

• Engineering advances have led to important discoveries in virtually every field of science, and scientific discoveries have led to the development of entire industries and engineered systems. (MS-PS1-3)

Influence of Science, Engineering, and Technology on Society and the Natural World

• All human activity draws on natural resources and has both short and long-term consequences, positive as well as negative, for the health of people and the natural environment. (MS-ESS3-1)  
• The uses of technologies and any limitation on their use are driven by individual or societal needs, desires, and values; by the findings of scientific research; and by differences in such factors as climate, natural resources, and economic conditions. Thus technology use varies from region to region and over time. (MS-PS1-3)(MS-LS2-5)

Link to Connect the 7 th Grade Earth’s Natural Resources Unit with Prior Knowledge.

7.4 earth's natural resources: culminating project assessments and rubrics.

Culminating Project Assessments and Rubrics  

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7.4 earth's natural resources: common misconceptions.

Common Misconceptions  

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7.4 Earth's Natural Resources: Materials

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The Unit 4: Earth’s Natural Resources Materials table includes all of the items needed to teach five sections of this unit in a classroom of 32 students (eight groups of four). A detailed breakdown of how these items are used throughout the unit can be found in your Teacher Background Section at the subunit level and in each individual lesson in your Teacher Edition. 

• Permanent materials have already been provided to all middle schools in the district and are expected to be reused from year to year.  
• Consumable materials are replenished on an as-needed basis from year to year.   
• Teacher-provided materials must be supplied by teachers each year. 

Unit 4: Earth’s Natural Resources Materials

7.4 Earth's Natural Resources: Subunit 0: Lift-Off Lessons

Subunit 0: lift-off  ,   📂  download all lessons at one time for subunit 0: lift-off from this folder. 📂 , 7.4 earth's natural resources: do you want to learn more about this unit.

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Here are some resources for Unit 7.4: Earth’s Natural Resources:

Energy Resources

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): Energy Resources Program of the U.S. Geological Survey Pubs.Usgs.Gov, 2019. https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs032-01/fs032-01.pdf.

USGS: Energy Frequently Asked Questions "Energy | USGS.Gov". Usgs.Gov, 2019. https://www.usgs.gov/faq/energy.

KQED Quest: How Were Fossil Fuels Formed? “ How Were Fossil Fuels Formed?: QUEST.” KQED Video. Accessed January 31, 2020. https://video.kqed.org/video/quest-how-were-fossil-fuels-formed/.

KQED Quest: Petroleum in the Bay Area Alden, Andrew. Petroleum In The Bay Area. QUEST, 2019. https://ww2.kqed.org/quest/2011/07/14/petroleum-in-the-bay-area/.

KQED Quest: How Solar Power Works Staff, QUEST. "How Solar Power Works". QUEST, 2019. https://ww2.kqed.org/quest/2014/11/14/how-solar-power-works/.

PBS NOVA: Wind Power "Wind Power | NOVA". KQED Video, 2019. https://video.kqed.org/video/nova-wind-power/.

Metals and Minerals

USGS: Minerals in Our Environment   Pubs.Usgs.Gov, 2019. https://pubs.usgs.gov/usgsof/2000/0144/pdf/of00-144.pdf. USGS: Gold Harold Kirkemo, Roger P. Ashley. "Gold". Pubs.Usgs.Gov, 2019. https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/gold/.

USGS: Mineral Commodity Fact Sheets "Mineral Commodity Fact Sheets". Usgs.Gov, 2019. https://www.usgs.gov/energy-and-minerals/mineral-resources-program/science/mineral-commodity-fact-sheets?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects.

Groundwater

USGS: Groundwater

"Groundwater Information By Topic". Usgs.Gov, 2019. https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/groundwater-information-topic?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects.

Note: Soil as a natural resource is not covered in the subunit, but you might want to have students research this during this unit.  

The Story of Stuff Project “Story of Stuff.” The Story of Stuff Project. Accessed November 5, 2019. https://storyofstuff.org/. American Chemical Society: Natural Resources & Synthetic Materials “Natural Resources & Synthetic Materials.” Natural Resources & Synthetic Materials | Chapter 6: Chemical Change | Middle School Chemistry. Accessed November 5, 2019. https://www.middleschoolchemistry.com/lessonplans/chapter6/lesson12. KQED Quest: Biodegradable Plastics: Too Good To Be True? Weinberger, Hannah. “Biodegradable Plastics: Too Good to Be True?” QUEST, September 19, 2015. https://ww2.kqed.org/quest/2014/06/12/biodegradable-plastics-too-good-to-be-true/.

Ecosystem Services

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Ecosystem Services “Ecosystem Services.” EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, August 12, 2019. https://www.epa.gov/eco-research/ecosystem-services.

Biodiversity Resources

KQED: Biodiversity “Ecosystem Services.” EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, August 12, 2019. https://www.epa.gov/eco-research/ecosystem-services.

Culminating Project Resources

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency: The Cost and Environmental Benefits of Using Reusable Food Ware in Schools: A Minnesota Case Study “Case Study: Schools Move to Reusable Utensils.” Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, April 2, 2018. https://www.pca.state.mn.us/living-green/case-study-schools-move-reusable-utensils . KQED: Plastic in the Pacific YouTube. YouTube. Accessed January 31, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9fEbqxyNl0. Alberta Environment and Parks: Oil Sands Information Portal Alberta, Government of. Alberta Environment and Parks Oil Sands Information Portal. Accessed January 31, 2020. http://osip.alberta.ca/map/. Assessment Practice Items Stanford University: Stanford NGSS Assessment Project, Short-Response Items “Short-Response Items.” Short-response items | Stanford NGSS Assessment Project. Accessed November 5, 2019. https://snapgse.stanford.edu/snap-assessments/short-response-items.

Other Resources in 7.4 Earth’s Natural Resources “A World of Minerals in Your Mobile Device,” Usgs.Gov, 2019. https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/0167/gip167.pdf .

Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, February 1, 2018. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/fields/287.html .

“Deep Subjects— Wells and Ground Water .” epa.gov. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-08/documents/mgwc-ww-well.pdf .

“EPA Life Cycle Assessment Principles & Practice.pdf.” Google Drive. Google. Accessed November 5, 2019. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1We727KKeZC_xpNaM7h953wGcicyBzCvL/view .

Mineral Commodity Fact Sheets. Accessed November 5, 2019. https://www.usgs.gov/energy-and-minerals/mineral-resources-program/science/mineral-commodity-fact-sheets?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects .

“San Francisco Groundwater Supply Project.” San Francisco Public Utilities Commission : SF Groundwater Supply Project. Accessed November 5, 2019. https://sfwater.org/index.aspx?page=1136 .

“The Cost and Environmental Benefits of Using Reusable Food Ware in Schools.” Minnesota pollution control agency, October 2019. https://www.pca.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/p-p2s6-16.pdf .

  Note: The CC BY-NC 4.0 License does not apply to photos, images, articles, and other materials within the curriculum that have been licensed by San Francisco Unified School District and Stanford University (the Authors). These include but are not limited to photos from commercial stock photo/image agencies such as Shutterstock.com or Getty Images ( iStock.com ) and photos or graphics where the Authors obtained permission from organizations such as UCMP or SERP. This CC BY-NC 4.0 License also does not apply to articles that the Authors received permission to reprint [Reprinted with Permission]. You can identify such a photo, image, or licensed material by looking at the credit embedded within or associated with the content. You are allowed to reproduce the licensed material for your own personal, classroom, non-commercial use only,  BUT (i) you may not modify, alter, adapt, or otherwise create any derivative work from, a licensed material and (ii) you may not distribute, transmit or disseminate a licensed material or any copy or derivative work thereof, to any third party, whether by itself, as part of a large works, or otherwise.

Note also, that throughout the student pages, there are some icons created by SFUSD and Stanford that may not have a credit line because of lack of space.  

These culminating project icons that follow were created or photographed by the San Francisco Unified School District and Stanford University and are all [CC BY-NC 4.0]: 

7th Grade Science Units

Unit 0: Groupwork

Unit 1: Chemical Reactions

Unit 2: Geoscience Processes and Earth's Surface

Unit 3: Ecosystems

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Natural Resources

Natural resources occur by natural means within environments that exist relatively undisturbed simply by humanity, in an all-natural form. A natural resource is usually characterized by variety of biodiversity and geodiversity existent in a variety of ecosystems. Natural resources are produced from the environment. Natural resources are supplies and components that may be found within environmental surroundings. Every man-made product comprises natural resources.

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Natural Resources Bingo

© Sally Crossthwaite

What types of natural resources are used to make the objects we use in everyday life? After playing this bingo game, your students will be ready to categorize common things we throw in the trash according to the resource from which they are made.

In this lesson, students will:

• learn that the earth is composed of several natural resources including plants, animals, rocks, and fossil fuels.
• learn that materials important to humans are made of these natural resources.
• categorize common things we throw in the trash according to the resource from which they are made.
• Bingo cards (1 per student)
• Natural Resources cards (1 set)
• B, I, N, G, O cards (1 set)
• two small boxes or envelopes to hold the cards
• earth image
• beans, magnets, or other items to mark bingo squares
• one copy of the earth image
• one set of B, I, N, G, O cards
• one set of Natural Resources cards
• enough Bingo cards for each student in your class to have one
• Color the earth image, cut it out, and paste it onto the front of a small box or envelope.
• Cut out the Natural Resource cards and B,I,N,G and O cards.
• Put the four Natural Resource cards into the “Earth” box/envelope, and the five B, I, N, G, O cards into the second box or envelope.

Explain to the students what natural resources are and that humans depend on them to make the things we need. Ask the students to list what the Earth’s natural resources are and list their responses on the board. You can bring in some examples (a potted plant, rocks, soil, a stuffed animal, molasses (to represent crude oil)) to help them come up with all of them. It may also be helpful to go outside to get more ideas. You should end up with a list that includes the following items: plants, animals, rocks and minerals, fossil fuels, water, and air. Make sure you take extra time in explaining what fossil fuels are. Explain that there is oil under the ground that we extract and use to make things like gasoline and plastic.

Now ask the students to list things that you throw into the trash (or recycling or compost bins) like used paper, aluminum cans, plastic bottles, and food scraps. After you’ve listed these items, ask the students to think about which natural resources were used to make these things. They should say trees for paper, rocks for aluminum and glass, fossil fuels for plastic, and animals and plants for food. For younger students, we suggest listing on the board all the specific objects that appear on the Bingo cards (see below). This way, students are fully prepared and the Natural Resources Bingo game can serve as a review for them. For older students, you may want to list more general categories only.

Plants                Animals                 Rocks & Minerals       Fossil Fuels

Cotton t-shirt       Leather baseball      Bricks                          Coal Carrot                     Hamburger              Concrete                      Plastic bottle Paper towels       Wool sweater           Glass window              Gasoline Book                      Leather shoe             Aluminum soda can    Plastic milk jug Banana                Beeswax candles       Tin soup can               Plastic bag Envelope                Feather pillow           Glass                           Plastic straw Newspaper          Ice cream                   Metal nuts and bolts   Balloon

• Divide students into groups of four to six. Although each student will have his/her own Bingo card, the students will be able to help each other and check each other’s answers in groups.  
• Explain the rules of Bingo to the class.  
• Each student has a unique bingo card with pictures of everyday objects. Each of these things is made from a natural resource. These pictures are arranged in columns headed by a letter in the word “Bingo.”  
• Explain that you (the teacher) will randomly pull a letter card and a Natural Resources card. For example: “B, Fossil Fuels,” or “N, Plants,” or “I, Animals.” Make sure you write the combination that you call on the board, so you can double-check a winning card. Return the cards to their receptacles after you have finished calling it and writing it on the board.  
• Each student can cover or mark with a pen or pencil one item on their card that is made from that resource and is in the correct letter column. (Note that it is possible for a student to have two boxes that match the combination called. However, on any one turn, the student can only mark one item.)  
• Also, note that some of the objects are made of many natural resources. For example, paper is made from trees, but water and fossil fuels are also used in the paper-making process. For this game, we will focus on the primary natural resources used to make the object. For example, although the paper-making process involves other natural resources, paper is primarily made from plants.  
• Before drawing another combination of cards, tell students that they need to check the work of the other students in their group. They have the opportunity to challenge another student if they don’t think they have made a correct choice. If there is a challenge, use this as an opportunity to discuss that object and the natural resources used to make it. Once all challenges have been discussed, continue with another card combination.  
• Tell students that you will continue to draw cards and they will continue to play until someone gets five in a row and yells, “bingo!”  
• When someone yells, “bingo,” check their card to make sure that they have identified the correct natural resource for each item used to make a bingo. If they have not, tell them which one(s) is incorrect and resume the game.

Lead a discussion with your students about waste. Prompt them to think about where their trash goes when it is thrown away, and how this affects the Earth. Ask the following questions for discussion:

» What are the natural resources that they throw in the trash the most? » Which resources do they use the most? » Why is it important to conserve natural resources? Because we need resources for food, transportation and everything else. If we use them up, we will not have the things we need, or the next generations will not have the things they need. » What would happen to the earth if we used more resources than it could make? We would run out of the things we need to live. » How can we conserve natural resources in our daily lives? Reducing, reusing, recycling, and composting.

sustainability : the attempt to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs as well

natural resources : naturally occurring substances that are valuable to humans, including plants, animals, rocks, wind, sunlight, water and fossil fuels

fossil fuels : petroleum, coal, or natural gas, derived from the accumulated remains of ancient plants and animals and used as fuel

Sustainability is the attempt to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs as well. An important part of achieving sustainability is learning to use our natural resources conservatively and wisely.

Natural resources are naturally occurring substances that are valuable to humans. We use natural resources for everything from paper and buildings to food and water. Natural resources include both renewable and non-renewable substances. Renewable resources, such as trees and plants, oxygen, water, and sunlight, can replenish themselves naturally. These renewable resources, if harvested at sustainable levels, are capable of being extracted from nature without depleting the resource over time. Non-renewable resources cannot be remade or regenerated fast enough to keep up with human demand. These include natural gas, coal, and oil - which are fossil fuels.

In order to live sustainably, we must first understand which kind of natural resources are used to make the things we use and consume everyday. In this activity students will learn what natural resources are and what types of everyday things are made from each of them.

Earth Sciences

• 3e. Students know rock, water, plants, and soil provide many resources, including food, fuel, and building materials that humans use.

Life Sciences

• 6c. Students know the natural origin of the materials used to make common objects.
• Adapted from an activity by SCARE, School and Community Assistance for Recycling & Composting Education, Glen Ellyn, Illinois. http://www.bookrescue.org/
• California Integrated Waste Management Board. (2007). K-3 Module, Unit 1: Conserving Natural Resources. Retrieved October 15, 2007 from http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/Schools/Curriculum/CTL/TOC.htm#K3Module

Plastic debris is abundant in the ocean, and it isn't good for marine life. Let's keep our oceans plastic-free.

Most energy in the US is produced by fossil fuels like coal and natural gas. How does this impact our planet?

Did you know that the choices we make when ordering seafood can impact the health of the ocean?

Attached Files

• Environmental Chemistry
• Natural Resources (Pdf)

Natural Resources

What are natural resources.

Natural resources can be defined as the resources that exist (on the planet) independent of human actions.

These are the resources that are found in the environment and are developed without the intervention of humans. Common examples of natural resources include air, sunlight, water, soil, stone, plants, animals and fossil fuels.

Natural resources are naturally occurring materials that are useful to man or could be useful under conceivable technological, economic or social circumstances or supplies drawn from the earth, supplies such as food, building and clothing materials, fertilizers, metals, water and geothermal power. For a long time, natural resources were the domain of the natural sciences.

Table of Contents

Recommended videos, what are the different types of natural resources, difference between renewable and non-renewable resources.

• The 5 Most Important Natural Resources
• Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs

Based on the availability are two types of natural resources :

• Renewable:  resources that are available in infinite quantity and can be used repeatedly are called renewable resources. Example: Forest, wind, water, etc.
• Non-Renewable:  resources that are limited in abundance due to their non-renewable nature and whose availability may run out in the future are called non-renewable resources. Examples include fossil fuels, minerals, etc.

The 5 Most Important Natural Resources are:

• Air: Clean air is important for all the plants, animals and humans to survive on this planet. So, it is necessary to take measures to reduce air pollution.
• Water: 70% of the Earth is covered in water and only 2 % of that is freshwater. Initiative to educate and regulate the use of water should be taken.
• Soil: Soil is composed of various particles and nutrients. It helps plants grow.
• Iron: It is found as mineral silica and is used to build strong weapons, transportation and buildings
• Forests:  Forests provide clean air and preserve the ecology of the world. Trees are being cut for housing and  construction projects

Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs

What are the key natural resources.

Distribution of the world’s most important natural resources. Other resources include mineral resources such as copper, gold and diamonds, energy resources such as gas, oil, and uranium, as well as agricultural and logging land resources.

What are the uses of natural resources?

Minerals, forest products, water, and soil are just a few of the natural resources that human beings use to produce energy and make use of things. Within a few years or decades, certain natural resources can be replicated. These are referred to as renewable resources.

How do humans depend on natural resources?

Living things need the land’s water, air, and energy, and they live in places with the things they need. For all they do, humans use natural resources.

What are the characteristics of natural resources?

On Earth, it requires sunshine, air, water, land (including all minerals) along with all the plants, crops and animal life which live naturally on or within the characteristics and substances previously identified.

Does recycling save natural resources?

By sustainability, recycling also saves energy and natural resources. We can save natural resources by using materials more than once. Recycling saves trees and water in the case of paper. Growing up to 17 trees saves up to one ton of paper from recycled stock and uses 50 percent less energy.

To learn more download the Natural resources pdf

Natural Resources PDF

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36.1: Introduction to Natural Resource Economics

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Types of Natural Resources

• Natural resource economics focuses on the supply, demand, and allocation of the Earth’s natural resources.

learning objectives

• Analyze natural resource economics and explain the types of natural resources that exist.

Natural Resource Economics

Natural resource economics focuses on the supply, demand, and allocation of the Earth’s natural resources. It’s goal is to gain a better understanding of the role of natural resources in the economy. Learning about the role of natural resources allows for the development of more sustainable methods to manage resources and make sure that they are maintained for future generations.The goal of natural resource economics is to develop an efficient economy that is sustainable in the long-run.

Importance of the Environment : This diagram illustrates how society and the economy are subsets of the environment. It is not possible for societal and economic systems to exist independently from the environment. For this reason, natural resource economics focuses on understanding the role of natural resources in the economy in order to develop a sufficient and sustainable economy that protects natural resources.

Natural resources are derived from the environment. Some of the resources are essential to survival, while others merely satisfy societal wants. Every man-made product in an economy is composed of natural resources to some degree.

There are numerous ways to classify the types of natural resources, they include the source of origin, the state of development, and the renewability of the resources.

In terms of the source of origin, natural resources can be divided into the following types:

• Biotic: these resources come from living and organic material, such as forests and animals, and include the materials that can be obtained them. Biotic natural resources also include fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum which are formed from organic matter that has decayed.
• Abiotic: these resources come from non-living and non-organic material. Examples of these resources include land, fresh water, air, and heavy metals (gold, iron, copper, silver, etc.).

Natural resources can also be categorized based on their stage of development including:

• Potential resources: these are resources that exist in a region and may be used in the future. For example, if a country has petroleum in sedimentary rocks, it is a potential resource until it is actually drilled out of the rock and put to use.
• Actual resources: these are resources that have been surveyed, their quantity and quality has been determined, and they are currently being used. The development of actual resources is dependent on technology.
• Reserve resources: this is the part of an actual resource that can be developed profitably in the future.
• Stock resources: these are resources that have been surveyed, but cannot be used due a lack of technology. An example of a stock resource is hydrogen.

Natural resources are also classified based on their renewability:

• Renewable natural resources: these are resources that can be replenished. Examples of renewable resources include sunlight, air, and wind. They are available continuously and their quantity is not noticeably affected by human consumption. However, renewable resources do not have a rapid recovery rate and are susceptible to depletion if they are overused.
• Non-renewable natural resources: these resources form extremely slow and do not naturally form in the environment. A resource is considered to be non-renewable when their rate of consumption exceeds the rate of recovery. Examples of non-renewable natural resources are minerals and fossil fuels.

There is constant worldwide debate regarding the allocation of natural resources. The discussions are centered around the issues of increased scarcity (resource depletion) and the exportation of natural resources as a basis for many economies (especially developed nations). The vast majority of natural resources are exhaustible which means they are available in a limited quantity and can be used up if they are not managed correctly. Natural resource economics aims to study resources in order to prevent depletion.

Natural resource utilization is regulated through the use of taxes and permits. The government and individual states determine how resources must be used and they monitor the availability and status of the resources. An example of natural resource protection is the Clean Air Act. The act was designed in 1963 to control air pollution on a national level. Regulations were established to protect the public from airborne contaminants that are hazardous to human health. The act has been revised over the years to continue to protect the quality of the air and health of the public in the United States.

Wind : Wind is an example of a renewable natural resource. It occurs naturally in the environment and has the ability to replenish itself. It has also been used as a form of energy development through wind turbines.

Basic Economics of Natural Resources

Natural resource economics focuses on the supply, demand, and allocation of the Earth’s natural resources to create a more efficient economy.

• Explain basic natural resource economics

Natural resource economics focuses on the supply, demand, and allocation of the Earth’s natural resources. The main objective of natural resource economics is to gain a better understanding of the role of natural resources in the economy. By studying natural resources, economists learn how to develop more sustainable methods of managing resources to ensure that they are maintained for future generations. Economists study how economic and natural systems interact in order to develop an efficient economy.

As a field of academic research, natural resource economics addresses the connections and interdependence between human economies and natural ecosystems. The focus is how to operate an economy within the ecological constraints of the earth’s natural resources.

Natural Resource Economics : This diagram illustrates that society and the economy are subsets of the environment. It is not possible for social and economic systems to exist independently from the environment. Natural resource economics focuses on the demand, supply, and allocation of natural resources to increase sustainability.

Areas of Study

Economists study the commercial and recreational use and exploitation of resources. Traditionally, natural resource economics focused on fishery, forestry, and mineral models. However, in recent years many more topics have become increasingly important, including air, water, and the global climate. Natural resource economics is studied on an academic level, and the findings are used to shape and direct policy-making for environmental issues.

Examples of areas of study in natural resource economics include:

• welfare theory
• pollution control
• resource exhaustibility
• environmental management
• resource extraction
• non-market valuation
• environmental policy

Additionally, research topics of natural resource economists can include topics such as the environmental impacts of agriculture, transportation and urbanization, land use in poor and industrialized countries, international trade and the environment, and climate change.

Impact of Natural Resource Economics

The findings of natural resource economists are used by governments and organizations to better understand how to efficiently use and sustain natural resources. The findings are used to gain insight into the following environmental areas:

• Extraction: the process of withdrawing resources from nature. Extractive industries are a basis for the primary sector of the economy. The extraction of natural resources substantially increases a country’s wealth. Economists study extraction rates to make sure that resources are not depleted. Also, if resources are extracted too quickly, the sudden inflow of money can cause inflation. Economists seek to maintain a sense of balance within extraction industries.
• Depletion: the using up of natural resources, which is considered to be a global sustainable development issue. Many governments and organizations have become increasingly involved in preserving natural resources. Economists provide data to determine how to balance the needs of societies now and preserve resources for the future.
• Protection: the preservation of natural resources for the future. The findings of economists help governments and organization develop measures of protection to sustain natural resources. Protection policies state the necessary actions internationally, nationally, and individually that must take place to control natural resource depletion that is a result of human activity.
• Management: the use of natural resources taking into account economic, environmental, and social concerns. This process deals with managing natural resources such as land, water, soil, plants, and animals. Particular focus is placed on how the preservation of natural resources impacts the quality of life now and for future generations.

Externalities and Impacts on Resource Allocation

Production and use of resources can have a positive or negative effect on the allocation of the natural resources.

• Examine externalities and how they the impact resource allocation of natural resources.

Resource Allocation

Resource allocation is division of goods for the use of production within the economy. The needs and wants of society as well as industries impact what is produced. Suppliers focus on producing the varieties of goods and services that will yield the greatest satisfaction to consumers. In the long run, externalities directly impact resource allocation. It must be determined whether the production, as well as the process of production, creates more benefits that costs for the producers, consumers, and society as a whole.

Externalities

An externality is a cost or benefit that affects a party who did not choose to incur the cost or benefit. In regards to natural resources, production and use of resources can have a positive or negative effect on the allocation of the resources.

External Costs

A negative externality, also called the external cost, imposes a negative effect on a third party to an economic transaction. Many negative externalities impact natural resources negatively because of the environmental consequences of production and use. For example, air pollution from factories and vehicles can cause damage to crops. Likewise, water pollution has a negative impact of plants and animals.

Negative externality : Air pollution from vehicles is an example of a negative externality. It affects other than those who drive the vehicle and those who sell the gas.

In the case of negative externalities, the marginal private cost of consuming a good is less than the marginal social or public cost. The marginal social benefit should equal the marginal social cost (i.e. production should only be increased when the marginal social benefit exceeds the marginal social cost). When external costs are present, the use of natural resources is inefficient because the social benefit is less than the social cost. In other words, society and the natural resources involved would have been better off if the natural resources had not been used at all.

Developed countries use more natural resources and must enact sustainable development plan for the use of resources. Human needs must be met, but the environment and natural resources must be preserved. Examples of resource depletion include mining, petroleum extraction, fishing, forestry, and agriculture.

External Benefits

Positive externalities, also referred to as external benefits, impose a positive effect on a third party. An example of a positive externality is when crops are pollinated by bees from a neighboring bee farm. In order to achieve the socially optimal equilibrium, the marginal social benefit should equal the marginal social cost (i.e. production should be increased as long as the marginal social benefit exceeds the marginal social cost). Assuming that natural resources are used and also sustained, the external benefits of goods produced by natural resources impacts the majority of the public in a positive way.

• Every man-made product in an economy is composed of natural resources to some degree.
• Natural resources can be classified as potential, actual, reserve, or stock resources based on their stage of development.
• Natural resources are either renewable or non-renewable depending on whether or not they replenish naturally.
• Natural resource utilization is regulated through the use of taxes and permits. The government and individual states determine how resources must be used and they monitor the availability and status of the resources.
• As a field of academic research, natural resource economics addresses the connections and interdependence between human economies and natural ecosystems.
• By studying natural resources, economists learn how to develop more sustainable methods of managing resources to ensure that they are maintained for future generations.
• Natural resource economics is studied on an academic level, and the findings are used to shape and direct policy-making for environmental issues. These issues include resource extraction, depletion, protection, and management.
• Natural resource economics findings impact policies for environmental work including issues such as extraction, depletion, protection, and management.
• An externality is a cost or benefit that affects a party who did not choose to incur the cost or benefit.
• A negative externality, also called the external cost, imposes a negative effect on a third party.
• When external costs are present, the market equilibrium use of natural resources is inefficient because the social benefit is less than the social cost. In other words, society would have been better off if fewer natural resources had been used.
• Positive externalities, also referred to as external benefits, imposes a positive effect on a third party.
• Assuming that natural resources are used and also sustained, the external benefits of goods produced by natural resources impacts the majority of the public in a positive way.
• natural resource : Any source of wealth that occurs naturally, especially minerals, fossil fuels, timber, etc.
• Renewable : Sustainable; able to be regrown or renewed; having an ongoing or continuous source of supply; not finite.
• depletion : The consumption of a resource faster than it can be replenished.
• sustainable : Able to be sustained for an indefinite period without damaging the environment, or without depleting a resource.
• externality : An impact, positive or negative, on any party not involved in a given economic transaction or act.

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• Management of Natural Resources

Management of Natural Resources relates to a course of action linked to renewable and non-renewable energy. Various factors like global warming , overpopulation, industrial growth, and other similar factors have a drastic impact on natural resources such as land, soil, water, plants and animals.

                                                                                   Management of Natural Resources

What is the Management of Natural Resources?

Management of Natural resources is how communities manage the supply or access to the natural resources they depend on for their survival and growth. We human beings are essentially dependent on natural resources. To maintain stable access to or a continuous supply of natural resources has always been central to the organization of civilizations and has historically been managed through several schemes of varying degrees of formality and participation from the central authority.

Impact and Issues of Not Managing Natural Resources

In sectors such as agriculture , forestry and fisheries, resource management focuses on preventing over-exploitation of resources. For example, as farms have grown and farming practices have shifted from manual labour to mechanics, and as the use of pesticides has increased, agricultural practices have become more harmful to the environment.

Natural resource management requires forethought and planning, and a few efforts are more effective than others. An example of a resource strategy that has gone wrong has taken place in Brazil, where selective logging of rainforests has been encouraged for constructing public roads in the rainforest.

The management strategy aimed at reducing the environmental impact of Clear-Cutting has had the opposite effect. A survey of the region conducted in 2006 found that selective logging contributed to more widespread clearing because the roads offered access to previously pristine areas. It resulted in the loss of rainforest that is twice as fast as previously expected.

Why is Management of Natural Resources Important?

The reasons why the management of natural resources is necessary are:

• To maintain the stability of the ecosystem .
• To prevent further damage to the environment.
• Avoiding over-consumption of natural resources.

Why do we need to Manage Natural Resources?

Following are the reasons why we need to manage natural resources.

• Everything we use today – food, clothing, home, automobiles, electricity, books, furniture, cooking gas, utensils, toys, roads, etc. – are acquired from earth’s natural resources.
• A large amount of the energy we consume today comes from non-renewable sources. Which means they are irreplaceable after usage. Fossil fuels, which have taken millions of years to form, are the most significant source of non-renewable energy used widely.
• Managing resources will not only guarantee its rational usage. It would also limit the degradation it causes to the environment. For example, the use of resources in various ways produces a lot of waste, which, is being disposed into the water bodies. Which, in fact, pollutes rivers and lakes. Limiting use would also reduce waste generation and pollution.

What are the 3 R’s of Waste Management?

The three R’s of waste management that helps in managing natural resources are:

Reduce refers to the rational purchase of products. The easiest way to minimize waste is not to generate waste. Given below, are the ways to reduce:

• Instead of using disposable products such as paper cups and plates, the straws turn to recycled products.
• Check the durability of the goods.
• Avoid asking carry bags at supermarkets, instead, carry cloth bags from your homes.

Reuse refers to the use of goods that are both economical and environmentally sustainable. Here are some ways to reuse:

• Donate or sell old clothes, electrical equipment, furniture, etc.
• Reuse things like paper and plastic bags.

Recycle refers to the re-usage of goods for creative and by-products. Here are a few ways to recycle:

• Recycling used paper to produce paper bags and straws.
• Purchasing various items that are recycled, and those which can be recycled.

Terms to know about Natural Resources Management

Clear-Cutting

Clearcutting or clear-cut harvesting is a forestry method in which most or all trees in the region are cut uniformly for economic growth.

Erosion is the activity of surface processes (like water or wind) which remove soil, rock or dissolved materials from one location on the earth’s surface and then transport it to another location.

Greenhouse Gas

Gas, whose concentration increases heat retention in the atmosphere.

Non-Renewable Resources

Any resource that is renewed or replaced quickly (as of human historical time scales) by natural or controlled processes is called non-renewable resources.

Water drops as precipitation and then spreads across the surface of land rather than sinking into the earth.

Sustainability

The Practices that ensure a balance between human needs and the environment and in between current and future generation requirements.

FAQs about Management of Natural Resources

Q1. What changes can you make in your habits to become more environmentally friendly?

Answer. We can make the following changes:

• Don’t dump trash on the roadside or water bodies.
• Turn off the lights, fans, TV when not required.
• Using less water for bathing or other washing jobs.
• Using jute bags instead of plastic bags.

Q2. What are the examples of non-renewable resources?

Answer. Oil, natural gas, coal, and nuclear energy are a few examples of non-renewable resources.

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Natural Resources Essay

Introduction

Natural resources and their relevance to human life are a major concern for all people on the planet. It is now important to have knowledge of the need for and value of natural resources, as well as to spread full awareness of the dangers associated with their scarcity. We have provided both long and short natural resources essays for students of Class 1 to 12.

Long and Short Essay on Natural Resources

Long natural resources essay in english.

Natural resources are priceless gifts to us that are necessary for our survival on this planet. Air, water, ground, trees, wood, soil, minerals, petroleum, metals, and sunlight are all examples. These resources cannot be generated or developed by humans; instead, they can be changed in various ways so that we can make better use of them.

Natural Resources are Classified into Two Types:

1. Renewable - Water, air, sunshine, ground, wood, soil, plants, and animals are examples of renewable resources that can be reclaimed and reformed after use. Water, plants, livestock, and fresh air are examples of scarce resources. Without a well-managed mechanism for consuming these renewable resources, we will not be able to bring them back in the future for future generations to use.

2. Non-Renewable - Non-renewable natural resources are those that cannot be duplicated and are only available in finite amounts on the globe. Minerals, Metals, petroleum, and coal are located under the earth's surface. Both of these items are in short supply and are extremely useful and valuable in everyday life.

Other categories of natural resources, in addition to these two, are specified as:

1. Biotic - These are natural resources derived from the global environment and include life-like plants, trees, and animals.

2. Abiotic - These resources include non-living natural resources such as air, water, ground, soil, minerals, and metals.

Both Renewable and Non-Renewable resources are used for various purposes:

Wind energy is produced by the movement of air.

Water is used for drinking and hydroelectric energy production.

Plants and trees provide us with vegetables, fruits, cotton, and wood, which we can use to make paper, furniture, and houses.

Animals provide us with milk, and their skin is used to make soap, shoes, purses, belts, and other products.

Solar energy is generated by the sun, which is used to keep us warm.

Oil is used to power vehicles and generates electricity.

Coins, steel, and jewelry are all made from minerals and metals.

Electricity is generated using coal.

What Causes the Depletion of These Resources?

Over-Population: When the world's population grows at an exponential pace, so does the demand for natural resources.

Urbanization: More cities and towns are springing up to meet the ever-increasing demand for housing and other necessities. Some resources have been exhausted as a result of this.

Industrialization: Several new industries are springing up in both rural and urban areas to create jobs and manufacture consumer goods for everyday use. As a result, our natural resources have been over-exploited.

Deforestation: Deforestation is the degradation of trees on a wide scale. Forest degradation has resulted in a reduction in other natural resources such as soil, water, and wildlife.

Mining and Quarrying: Resources have also been exhausted as a result of unscientific mining and quarrying for the production of minerals and ores.

Overgrazing: Soil erosion is exacerbated by overgrazing by cattle in general, and sheep and goats in particular.

Intensive Agriculture: Excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides, as well as cultivating the same crop year after year, decreases soil fertility and leaves the soil sick.

Insecticides: Insecticides and industrial waste products have depleted biodiversity in the forest, rivers, wetlands, dams, and oceans.

Soil Erosion: Soil erosion is the process of water or wind transporting nutrient-rich topsoil away. This harms both the soil and the plants.

Let us take a look at the Natural Resources Short Essay.

Short Essay on Natural Resources

Natural resources are those that we receive naturally from the Earth. Natural resources include the flora and fauna in our local area, as well as air, water, and sunshine. Natural resources are classified into two groups. They are renewable natural resources, such as solar energy, as well as non-renewable natural resources, such as fossil fuels.

Renewable natural resources do not deplete and are replenished over time, while non-renewable resources deplete as their use increases. Natural resources are a gift to humanity that must be used responsibly and protected for future generations.

Even though the majority of these natural resources are sustainable and plentiful, human activities do misuse some of them. It takes millions of years for all of those non-renewable resources to form. Unauthorized and irresponsible use of these natural resources would lead to a scarcity of these resources in the future.

The key cause of this threat of natural resource extraction can be identified as population growth. When the world's population increases, so does the need for more natural resources. This involves the over-consumption of lands by sacrificing their true natural value to create massive structures, industrialisation, and so on.

The increased use of new technology and requirements has contaminated our natural resources, such as air, water, and soil, by exposing them to more chemically hazardous wastes. Owing to overuse, raw materials derived from fossil fuels, such as petroleum products, are in danger of becoming extinct.

Many of these risks can be avoided if we use our natural resources more wisely and don't take them for granted. Humans should adopt a more sustainable lifestyle to preserve nature's gifts for future generations.

The above material contained an essay on Natural Resources which had a lot of information about the topic. 

It outlined the ways to write an essay, both, long and short. But, writing is all about creative ideas and is considered to be the most loved form of expression. 

Students shall keep exploring more about the art of writing. The best way to do so is by putting their hands on different topics and trying to describe them in different ways. 

Let us get to know more about the essays, their types, formats, and some of the tips that the students shall be using while writing any piece of content.

What is an essay? 

An essay is a kind of writing piece that is usually short and describes the perspective of a writer. It may showcase an argument, tell a story, highlight an issue or simply, describe a topic. They are very personalized and talk about personal opinions and viewpoints. Since writing is a form of expression and a lot of people love to own their thoughts, essay writing is a skill that everyone should possess.

What is the Format to write an Essay? 

It doesn’t follow a very rigid format. However, it consists of three main parts. 

First, the introduction, which talks about an overview of the prompt that you’ve been given. 

Second, the body, which talks in detail or gives a response to the argument which has been stated in the topic.

Third, is the conclusion, which generally contains the ending lines. It can contain a moral, quote or suggestion. 

Students shall note that since writing is a creative process, there’s no need to confine it within some boundaries. You shall write according to the topic and your flow of ideas. However, an important point that you shall keep in mind is that the content of the writing piece should be organized and easy to understand. If there’s a relatability factor to it, the audience would find it appealing and this way, you can connect with more people.

How many Types of Essays are There? 

There are mainly 4 types of essays. However, it depends on the writer, how and what they want to deliver to their audience. 

Narrative Essay

Descriptive Essay

Persuasive Essay

Expository Essay

What are Short Essays? 

Short essays are generally the kind of essays which doesn’t offer too many details about the prompt but surely highlights all the important points linked to it. 

These kinds of essays are considered to be more interesting and easy to read, because of the length of the content.

What are Long Essays?

Long Essays are generally longer than the others as it contains a lot of information. These are considered to be the ones that have all the details. They may be written in an informal way or even a formal way, depending on what the prompt is.

Tips for Writing Essays

Select a captivating title for it. 

Divide the content into small paragraphs so that it looks more organized. 

Make sure that your content grabs the attention of the reader. 

Your words should give a sense of curiosity in the reader’s mind. 

The essay should be well-paced. 

Avoid using jargon and focus more on simple words. 

Focus on the structure of your essay. 

Avoid making grammatical errors. 

Use correct spellings and punctuations. 

Before writing, you may consider making a rough draft so that it becomes easier for you to organize your points later. 

Understand your topic well so that you can provide only relevant information and don't present an unorganized mess. 

Brainstorm your topic, ask yourself questions, research extensively so that before you start, you get a clearer idea of what your content should be like. 

You may use resources and cite research to make it more interesting for the readers.

FAQs on Natural Resources Essay

1. How can we Conserve/Avoid Water Pollution?

There are two ways to conserve water:

Maintenance of Water Cycle:

In many areas of the world, healthy forests are important for promoting rainfall. As a result, the water cycle would be dependent on tree maintenance and planting.

Swamps, marshes, tanks, and reservoirs must all be closely controlled. Wetland areas, which play an important role in the water cycle, should not be filled with mud and reclaimed as land.

Prevention of Water Pollution:

It is recommended that industrial wastes not be dumped directly into lakes and rivers. If sewage is to be dumped into rivers or streams, it must first be cleaned and filtered.

Oil should not be dumped in the seas by ships or oil tankers.

Cities' organic wastes (sewage) should not be permitted to pollute the water supply. To achieve sewage oxidation, special sewage plants should be built. Finally, sewage-free water can be discharged into rivers and reservoirs.

2. What are Some of the Ways in Which we can Preserve Soil Fertility?

Following are the ways in which we can preserve soil fertility:

It is not advisable to cultivate the same crop year after year. As a consequence, basic elements of a specific kind are depleted in the soil. Different crops should be planted at different times of the year. Crop rotation is a good idea to pursue. It entails rotating between growing a pulse crop or a leguminous crop and some other crop. This is due to the presence of the bacteria rhizobium in the root nodules of leguminous plants, which can fix atmospheric nitrogen.

To substitute what is taken up as nutrients by plants, green manure or synthetic fertilisers should be applied to the soil.

The type of fertiliser to be used for different crops should be addressed with an Agriculture Development Officer or Gram Sevak.

3. How many words long should an essay be? 

An ideal essay should be 400-500 words unless otherwise stated. The words also depend on what you have been asked to write for. Often, the topic is too lengthy and it becomes difficult for you to organise it. While writing, you shall only keep your reader in the mind and then let the ideas flow on a paper.

4. How should an essay be concluded?

The best way to conclude an essay is by presenting your viewpoints or suggestions and ending it with a quote or something similar. However, there is no rule attached to it and students shall rely the most on their creative skills and let the ideas flow as they come.

5. From where can we get to read some of the samples of essays?

Vedantu provides you with a heck of sample essays. You shall simply visit their website or download their mobile app and get access to it. By reading more and more samples, your brain will give you more ideas, and this way your writing skills will improve over time. Remember, the way to write is always reading.

Natural Resources Management

Note: This exam date is subjected to change based on seat availability. You can check final exam date on your hall ticket.

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Course layout, books and references.

• D. R. Lynch, Sustainable Natural Resource Management: For Scientists and Engineers, Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2009.
• M.C. Dash, Concepts of Environmental Management for Sustainable Development Publisher: I K International Publishing House Pvt. Ltd., 2013.
• G. Shivakoti, U. Pradhan, H. Helmi (editors), Redefining Diversity and Dynamics of Natural Resources Management in Asia, Volume 1 st Edition, Sustainable Natural Resources Management in Dynamic Asia, Editors:, ISBN: 9780128054543, Elsevier, 2016.
• P. Rogers, K. F. Jalal, J. A. Boyd, An Introduction to Sustainable Development. Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition, ISBN-10:1844075206, 2007.

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Reimagining Design with Nature: ecological urbanism in Moscow

• Reflective Essay
• Published: 10 September 2019
• Volume 1 , pages 233–247, ( 2019 )

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The twenty-first century is the era when populations of cities will exceed rural communities for the first time in human history. The population growth of cities in many countries, including those in transition from planned to market economies, is putting considerable strain on ecological and natural resources. This paper examines four central issues: (a) the challenges and opportunities presented through working in jurisdictions where there are no official or established methods in place to guide regional, ecological and landscape planning and design; (b) the experience of the author’s practice—Gillespies LLP—in addressing these challenges using techniques and methods inspired by McHarg in Design with Nature in the Russian Federation in the first decade of the twenty-first century; (c) the augmentation of methods derived from Design with Nature in reference to innovations in technology since its publication and the contribution that the art of landscape painters can make to landscape analysis and interpretation; and (d) the application of this experience to the international competition and colloquium for the expansion of Moscow. The text concludes with a comment on how the application of this learning and methodological development to landscape and ecological planning and design was judged to be a central tenant of the winning design. Finally, a concluding section reflects on lessons learned and conclusions drawn.

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Acknowledgements

The landscape team from Gillespies Glasgow Studio (Steve Nelson, Graeme Pert, Joanne Walker, Rory Wilson and Chris Swan) led by the author and all our collaborators in the Capital Cities Planning Group.

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Evans, B.M. Reimagining Design with Nature: ecological urbanism in Moscow. Socio Ecol Pract Res 1 , 233–247 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42532-019-00031-5

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Chapter 3: Russia

3.3 regions of russia, learning objectives.

• Name the major cities, rivers, and economic base of Russia’s core region.
• Identify the economic base of cities in the Eastern Frontier and the identity of the world’s most voluminous freshwater lake.
• Describe the physical attributes of Siberia and the Far East.
• Explain why Chechnya has been at war with Russia twice since 1994.
• Learn why Russia invaded Georgia in 2008 and discover the role of fossil fuels in the economies of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The Core Region

Most of Russia’s population and its major industries are located west of the Ural Mountains on the Russian Plain. Known as Russia’s geographic core, this includes the Moscow region, the Volga region, and the Ural Mountain region. Moscow, Russia’s capital city, anchors a central industrial area that is home to more than fifty million people. Moscow alone has more than ten million residents, with about thirteen million in its metropolitan area, making it slightly smaller than the Los Angeles, California, metro area. A ring of industrial cities surrounding Moscow contains vital production centers of Russian manufacturing. During the Communist era, Moscow expanded from its nineteenth-century core (although the city dates from at least the twelfth century) and became an industrial city with planned neighborhoods. This world-class city has an extensive subway and freeway system that is expanding to meet current growth demands. Although rents, commodities, and domestic goods had fixed prices during the Communist era, the Soviet Union’s collapse changed all that. Today Moscow is one of the most expensive places to live in the world, with prices based on supply and demand. Many want to live in Moscow, but it is financially out of reach for many Russians.

Russia’s second-largest city, with a population of about five million, is St. Petersburg. Located on the Baltic Sea , it is western Russia’s leading port city. The city was renamed Petrograd (1914–24) and Leningrad (1924–91) but today is often called Petersburg, or just “Peter” for short. Peter the Great built the city with the help of European architects in the early eighteenth century to rival other European capitals, and he made it the capital of the Russian Empire. Named after St. Peter in the Bible (not Peter the Great), it is a cultural center for Russia and a major tourist destination. It is also known for shipbuilding, oil and gas trade, manufacturing, and finance. Its greatest tragedy took place when it was under siege for twenty-nine months by the German military during World War II. About one million civilians died of starvation or during the bombardment, and hundreds of thousands fled the city, leaving the city nearly empty by the end of the siege.

Figure 3.12 Russia’s Core Region                                                           Source: Map courtesy of the CIA World Factbook.

To the far north of St. Petersburg on the Barents Sea are the cities of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk . Murmansk is a major military port for Russia’s navy and nuclear submarine fleet. Relatively warm water from the North Atlantic drift circles around Norway to keep this northern port city fairly free of ice. Arkhangelsk (which literally means “archangel”), used as a port for lumber exports, has a much shorter ice-free season than Murmansk. Both of these cities are in Russia’s far north, with long winters and exceedingly brief summers.

The Volga River flows through the core region of Russia, providing transportation, fresh water, and fishing. The Volga is the longest river in Europe at 2,293 miles, and it drains most of Russia’s western core region. This river has been a vital link in the transportation system of Russia for centuries and connects major industrial centers from the Moscow region to the south through an extensive network of canals and other waterways. The Volga River flows into the Caspian Sea , and a canal links the Volga with the Black Sea through a connecting canal via the Don River .

At the eastern edge of Russia’s European core lie the Ural Mountains, which act as a natural divide between Europe and Asia. These low-lying mountains have an abundance of minerals and fossil fuels, which make the Ural Mountains ideal for industrial development. The natural resources of the Urals and the surrounding area provide raw materials for manufacturing and export. The eastern location kept these resources out of the hands of the Nazis during World War II, and the resources themselves helped in the war effort. Oil and natural gas exploration and development have been extensive across Russia’s core region and have greatly increased Russia’s export profits.

Figure 3.13 Russia’s Eastern Frontier, the Far East, and Siberia             Source: Map courtesy of the CIA World Factbook.

The Eastern Frontier

East of the Urals, in south-central Russia, is Russia’s Eastern Frontier , a region of planned cities, industrial plants, and raw-material processing centers. The population is centered in two zones here: the Kuznetsk Basin (or Kuzbas, for short) and the Lake Baikal region.

The Kuzbas is a region of coal, iron ore, and bauxite mining; timber processing; and steel and aluminum production industries. Central industrial cities were created across the Eastern Frontier to take advantage of these resource opportunities. The most important of these is Novosibirsk , the third-largest city in Russia after Moscow and St. Petersburg and home to about 1.4 million people. The city is not only noted for its industries but it is also the region’s center for the arts, music, and theater. It is host to a music conservatory and a philharmonic orchestra, a division of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and three major universities.

Agriculture, timber, and mining are the main economic activities in the eastern Lake Baikal region, which is more sparsely settled than the Kuzbas. Lake Baikal (400 miles long, 50 miles wide) holds more fresh water than all the US Great Lakes together and about 20 percent of all the liquid fresh water on the earth’s surface. Its depth has been recently measured at 5,370 feet (more than a mile). Some of the longest river systems in the world flow through the Eastern Frontier . The Irtysh , Ob , Yenisey , and Lena are the main rivers that flow north through the region into Siberia and on to the Arctic Ocean. To the east, the Amur River creates the border between Russia and China until it flows north into the Sea of Okhotsk . In addition to waterways, the Trans-Siberian Railway is the major transportation link through the Eastern Frontier, connecting Moscow with the port city of Vladivostok in the Far East.

Siberia , as a place name, actually refers to all of Asian Russia east of the Ural Mountains, including the Eastern Frontier and the Russian Far East. However, in this and some other geography textbooks, the term Siberia more specifically describes only the region north of the Eastern Frontier that extends to the Kamchatka Peninsula . The word Siberia conjures up visions of a cold and isolated place, which is true. Stretching from the northern Ural Mountains to the Bering Strait , Siberia is larger than the entire United States but is home to only about fifteen million people. Its cities are located on strategic rivers with few overland highways connecting them.

Type D (continental) climates dominate the southern portion of this region, and the territory consists mainly of coniferous forests in a biome called the taiga . This is one of the world’s largest taiga regions. Type E (polar) climates can be found north of the taiga along the coast of the Arctic Sea, where the tundra is the main physical landscape. No trees grow in the tundra because of the semifrozen ground. Permafrost may thaw near the surface during the short summer season but is permanently frozen beneath the surface. On the eastern edge of the continent, the mountainous Kamchatka Peninsula has twenty active volcanoes and more than one hundred inactive volcanoes. It is one of the most active geological regions on the Pacific Rim.

Figure 3.14 Mount Koryasky, an Active Volcano, and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a Town on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula                  Wikimedia Commons – public domain.  

The vast northern region of Russia is sparsely inhabited but holds enormous quantities of natural resources such as oil, timber, diamonds, natural gas, gold, and silver. There are vast resources in Siberia waiting to be extracted, and this treasure trove will play an important role in Russia’s economic future.

The Far East

Figure 3.15 Vladivostok Tram Opposite the Admiral’s Club on Its Way to the Railway Station, Vladivostok                                                  Wikimedia Commons – CC BY 3.0.

Across the strait from Japan is Russia’s Far East region, with the port of Vladivostok (population about 578,000) as its primary city. Bordering North Korea and China, this Far East region is linked to Moscow by the Trans-Siberian Railway. Before 1991, Vladivostok was closed to outsiders and was an important army and naval base for the Russian military. Goods and raw materials from Siberia and nearby Sakhalin Island were processed here and shipped west by train. Sakhalin Island and its coastal waters have oil and mineral resources. Industrial and business enterprises declined with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Today, the Far East is finding itself on the periphery of Russia’s hierarchy of productivity. However, it has the potential to emerge again as an important link to the Pacific Rim markets.

Southern Russia

In the southern portion of the Russian core lies a land bridge between Europe and Southwest Asia: a region dominated by the Caucasus Mountains. To the west is the Black Sea, and to the east is the landlocked Caspian Sea. The Caucasus Mountains, higher than the European Alps, were formed by the Arabian tectonic plate moving northward into the Eurasian plate. The highest peak is Mt. Elbrus at 18,510 feet. Located on the border between Georgia and Russia, Mt. Elbrus is the highest peak on the European continent as well as the highest peak in Russia.

Most of this region was conquered by the Russian Empire during the nineteenth century and held as part of the Soviet Union in the twentieth. However, only a minority of its population is ethnic Russian, and its people consist of a constellation of at least fifty ethnic groups speaking a variety of languages.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Caucasus region has been the main location of unrest within Russia. Wars between Russia and groups in the Caucasus have claimed thousands of lives. Some of the non-Russian territories of the Caucasus would like to become independent, but Russia fears an unraveling of its country if their secession is allowed to proceed. To understand why the Russians have fought the independence of places such as Chechnya but did not fight against the independence of other former Soviet states in the Caucasus such as Armenia , it is necessary to study the administrative structure of Russia itself.

Figure 3.16 Republics of Southern Russia, Including Chechnya                Wikimedia Commons – CC BY-SA 3.0.

Of the twenty-one republics, eight are located in southern Russia in the Caucasus region. One of these, the Chechen Republic (or Chechnya), has never signed the Federation Treaty to join the Russian Federation; in fact, Chechnya proposed independence after the breakup of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Although other territories to the south of Chechnya, such as Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, also declared their independence from Russia after 1991, they were never administratively part of Russia. During the Soviet era, those countries were classified as Soviet Socialist Republics, so it was easy for them to become independent countries when all the other republics (e.g., Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan) did so after 1991. However, Chechnya was administratively part of the USSR with no right to secession. After 1991, Russia decided that it would not allow territories that had been administratively governed by Russia to secede and has fought wars to prevent that from happening. It feared the consequences if all twenty-one republics within the Russian Federation were declared independent countries.

Chechnya has fought against Russia for independence twice since the USSR’s collapse. The First Chechen War (1994–96) ended in a stalemate, and Russia allowed the Chechens to have de facto independence for several years. But in 1999, Russia resumed military action, and by 2009 the war was essentially over and Chechnya was once more under Russia’s control. Between twenty-five thousand and fifty thousand Chechens were killed in the war, and between five thousand and eleven thousand Russian soldiers were also killed (Wikipedia). In 2003, the United Nations called Grozny , Chechnya’s capital, the most destroyed city on Earth. Reconstruction of Grozny has slowly begun.

Even before the recent wars, Chechnya had a difficult past. Over the course of its history, it has been at the boundary between the Ottoman Empire, the Persian Empire, and the Russian Empire. Most of the people converted to Sunni Islam in the 1700s to curry favor with the Ottomans and seek their protection against Russian encroachment. Nevertheless, Chechnya was annexed by the Russian Empire. During Soviet leader Josef Stalin’s reign of terror, more than five hundred thousand Chechens were loaded on train cars and shipped to Kazakhstan, where as many as half died.

• Transcaucasia

The independent countries of Georgia , Armenia , and Azerbaijan make up the region of Transcaucasia . Although they are independent countries, they are included in this chapter because they have more ties to Russia than to the region of Southwest Asia to their south. They have been inextricably connected to Russia ever since they were annexed by the Russian Empire in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, and they were all former republics within the Soviet Union. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, these three small republics declared independence and separated from the rest of what became Russia.

Geographically, these three countries are located on the border between the European and Asian continents. The Caucasus Mountain range is considered the dividing line. The region known as Transcaucasia is generally designated as the southern portion of the Caucasus Mountain area.

Figure 3.17 Southern Russia and Transcaucasia                                         Wikimedia Commons – CC BY-SA 3.0.

The country of Georgia has a long history of ancient kingdoms and a golden age including invasions by the Mongols, Ottomans, Persians, and Russians. For a brief three years—from 1918 to 1921—Georgia was independent. After fighting an unsuccessful war to remain free after the Russian Revolution, Georgia was absorbed into the Soviet Union. Since it declared independence in 1991, the country has struggled to gain a stable footing within the world community. Unrest in the regions of South Ossetia , Abkhazia , and Adjara (where the populations are generally not ethnic Georgian) has destabilized the country, making it more difficult to engage in the global economy. Russia and Georgia had a military conflict in 2008, when Russian troops entered the South Ossetian region to support its move toward independence from Georgia. Georgia considered South Ossetia to be a part of Georgia and called the Russians an occupying force. Many other countries, including the United States, condemned Russia for their action. Russian troops pulled out of Georgia but supported the independence of South Ossetia and Georgia’s westernmost region of Abkhazia. Neither South Ossetia nor Abkhazia are considered independent states by most of the world’s countries.

A democratic-style central government has emerged in Georgia, and economic support has been provided by international aid and foreign investments. The country has made the switch from the old Soviet command economy to a free-market economy. Agricultural products and tourism have been Georgia’s main economic activities.

In 2010, Armenia, to the south of Georgia, had a population of only about three million in a physical area smaller in size than the US state of Maryland. It is a country with its own distinctive alphabet and language and was the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as a state religion, an event traditionally dated to 301 CE. The Armenian Apostolic Church remains the country’s central religious institution, and the Old City of Jerusalem in Israel has an Armenian Quarter, an indication of Armenia’s early connection with Christianity.

The small landlocked country has experienced invasions from every empire that controlled the region throughout history. The geographic area of the country decreased when the Ottoman Empire took control of western Armenia, and that region remains a part of Turkey to this day. A bitter conflict between Turks and Armenians during World War I resulted in the systematic deaths of as many as a million Armenians. This genocide continues to be commemorated annually on April 24, the traditional date of the Armenian Martyrs’ Day, but Turkey still denies the events were genocide.

Like the other former Soviet republics, Armenia has shifted from a centrally planned economy to a market economy. Before independence in 1991, Armenia’s economy had a manufacturing sector that provided other Soviet republics with industrial goods in exchange for raw materials and energy. Since then, its manufacturing sector has declined and Armenia has fallen back on agriculture and financial remittances from the approximately eight million Armenians living abroad to support its economy. These remittances, along with international aid and direct foreign investments, have helped stabilize Armenia’s economic situation.

Azerbaijan is an independent country to the east of Armenia bordering the Caspian Sea . It is about the same size in area as the US state of Maine. This former Soviet republic has a population of more than eight million in which more than 90 percent follow Islam. Azerbaijan shares a border with the northern province of Iran, which is also called Azerbaijan. Part of Azerbaijan is located on the western side of Armenia and is separated from the rest of the country.

Located on the shores of the Caspian Sea, Baku is the capital of Azerbaijan and is the largest city in the region, with a population approaching two million. During the Cold War era, it was one of the top five largest cities in the Soviet Union. The long history of this vibrant city and the infusion of oil revenues have given rise to a metropolitan center of activity that has attracted global business interests. Wealth has not been evenly distributed in the country, and at least one-fourth of the population still lives below the poverty line.

Azerbaijan is rich with oil reserves. Petroleum was discovered here in the eighth century, and hand-dug oil wells produced oil as early as the fifteenth century. Since the Industrial Revolution, the rising value of petroleum for energy increased the industrial extraction of oil in Azerbaijan. At the end of the nineteenth century, this small country produced half the oil in the world. Oil and natural gas are the country’s main export products and have been a central focus of its economy. Large oil reserves are located beneath the Caspian Sea, and offshore wells with pipelines to shore have expanded throughout the Caspian Basin. As much as the export of oil and natural gas has been an economic support for the country, it has not been without costs to the environment. According to US government sources, local scientists consider parts of Azerbaijan to be some of the most devastated environmental areas in the world. Serious air, soil, and water pollution exist due to uncontrolled oil spills and the heavy use of chemicals in the agricultural sector.

Figure 3.18 Oil Fields of Azerbaijan Wikimedia Commons – CC BY 2.0.

Key Takeaways

• The vast majority of Russia’s population live in the western core area of the country, the region around the capital city of Moscow.
• Most of the cities on the Barents Sea and in the Eastern Frontier were established for manufacturing or for the exploitation of raw materials.
• The Volga River and its tributaries have been an important transportation network for centuries. The Volga is the longest river in Europe.
• Very few people live in Siberia, but the region is rich with natural resources.
• The most contentious region in Russia is the Caucasus Mountain region, especially the area of Chechnya. The Caucasus is characterized by ethnic and religious diversity and by a desire for independence from Russia.
• South of Russia in the Caucasus is the region of Transcaucasia. It is ethnically, religiously, and linguistically diverse. Countries there are independent of Russia, although they have a long history of being part of the Russian and Soviet Empires. Some of the countries are rich in petroleum reserves.

Discussion and Study Questions

• What are Russia’s four main regions and what are the main qualities of each?
• What connects Moscow with Russia’s Far East, and why is this important?
• What are some of the major environmental problems in Russia and Transcaucasia?
• What is the relationship between the countries of Georgia and Russia? Describe their 2008 conflict.
• What happened to Chechnya? Why has Russia fought two wars in Chechnya since the Soviet Union’s collapse?
• What are the three independent countries of Transcaucasia, and when did they gain independence from Russia?
• Which of the three Transcaucasian countries has the least opportunity to gain wealth? What is the largest source of income in this region?
• What physical feature demarcates the boundary between Europe and Asia in southern Russia?
• What is the largest city in Transcaucasia? On what sea is it located?

Geography Exercise

Identify the following key places on a map:

• Arctic Ocean
• Arkhangelsk
• Bering Strait
• Caspian Sea
• Eastern Frontier
• Irtysh River
• Kamchatka Peninsula
• Kuznetsk Basin
• Lake Baikal
• Novosibirsk
• Sakhalin Island
• Sea of Okhotsk
• South Ossetia
• Vladivostok
• Volga River

Wikipedia, “Second Chechen War,” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Chechen_War .

• World Regional Geography: People, Places and Globalization. Provided by : University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing . Located at : http://open.lib.umn.edu/worldgeography/ . License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

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