1. What is
resource Management?
a) A decision making process whereby resources are
allocated over space and time according to the needs, aspirations, and desires
of humankind within the framework of the technological, social, cultural and
political institutions and the legal framework” (O’Riordan 1971:19).
b) It is concerned with the biological functioning of
part of the environment (e.g. forest) and also the allocation of resource
products within the frameworks of particular legal and cultural
settings.
2. Why do we undertake Resource
Management?
The goal may be survival, profit, ecological balance, capital
accumulation or the enjoyment of scenery or recreation. It aims to provide goods
and services, promote human welfare, and to also maintain essential ecological
systems. The underlying objective is utility.
3. The dimensions of Resource Management
are:
a) Ecological b) Economical and . . .c)
Ethnological
If resources are to be used
effectively, their use must be physically possible, economically viable, and
culturally acceptable
4. Why are there problems in Resource
Management?
The problems result from
conflicts that develop between the different goals of resource
management.
5. What do Resource Managers
do?
Adopt strategies and
technologies fr resource
development that would sustain economic growth and human welfare without causing
unnecessary damage to the environment.
6. What problems do the current emphasis on
environmental quality introduces in resource management?
a)
Being neither
tangible or individual, natural resources cannot be owned or valued in the
market environment
b)
Resources cannot
also be exploited without creating external impacts on people or the biophysical
environment.
c)
No reliable method
is currently available for the evaluation of the
intangibles.
Approaches to Environmental
and Resource Management?
1. Ecological
approach:
Ecological approach to resource management is refers to
the allocation and management of resources on the basis of an understanding of
the functional components of the physical and biological environment and the
relationships among the components. Knowledge from the behavior and functional
characteristics of ecosystems are employed to safeguard the
environment.
Studies based on the ecological
approach:
The
overriding concern amongst researchers adopting the ecological approach is the
allocation and management of resources in a manner that minimizes environmental
damage. The approach involves the following:
·
Ecosystem inventory
to determine community zones (open water, wetlands, mixed
forests)
·
Identification of
natural processes that lead to stability and determination of the limited
factors (slope, water table, altitude etc)
·
Analysis of
inventory date to evaluate the functional significance of the ecosystem
components
·
Recommendations of
alternative uses based on established functional significance (national parks,
sensitive areas)
The
economic approach is based on the premise that resources are scarce so that
users have to make a choice and optimize their use of them. Such considerations
lead to the rational allocation of resources which is possible in a free,
competitive market economy. The objective of resource allocation under this
approach is to achieve economic efficiency by minimizing production costs (labor
and capital input) and maximizing monetary profits. The market value of
resources determines which resources are selected for use.
Technology not only aids the achievement of economic
efficiency but also is expected to reduce the fears of resource depletion. The
economic approach for instance has been enhanced by technological developments.
Under this approach, technology is adopted to bring changes in production that
allows more output to be produced from a given or a smaller volume of labor,
capital and resources. Technology is also adopted to discover new resources and
improve methods of resource exploration and exploitation. As with the economic approach, the
reliance on technological feasibility has been criticized for ignoring the
interdependence amongst resources and the social impact of engineering
projects.
The
ethnological approach stipulates that, cultural difference have an influence on
the way people perceive and use the resources they find in their environment.
The use of resources is therefore related to specified cultural themes and
perception of resources. In