Natural resources, environmental management and sustainability
What the domain tests
This domain tests how natural resources are used, depleted and managed, and how sustainability is applied to water, land, minerals, wildlife and energy. Namibia's dry environment makes water management and land degradation especially important, while conservancies and mining provide contrasting case studies.
Core rules and concepts
- Renewable resources can be replenished if use stays below regeneration rates; non-renewable resources such as minerals and fossil fuels are finite.
- Sustainable development meets present needs without preventing future generations from meeting theirs. It balances environmental, social and economic costs and benefits.
- Environmental impact assessment (EIA) predicts effects before a project is approved. Monitoring and mitigation continue during and after the project.
- Water management includes dams, boreholes, pipelines, water recycling and desalination; demand management, leak repair and fair allocation are often cheaper than new supply.
- Community-based natural resource management gives local people rights and responsibilities. Wildlife quotas, anti-poaching and tourism income can support conservation if benefits are shared and monitored.
Worked example
A mining company proposes a new uranium mine near a seasonal river. Outline how an EIA would support a decision. Reasoning: baseline studies record water, soil, wildlife and local livelihoods. The assessment predicts impacts such as dust, acid drainage, water use and habitat loss. It compares alternatives and proposes mitigation: dust suppression, lined waste stores, water recycling, monitoring wells and a rehabilitation fund. Decision-makers can then set conditions and monitor compliance. The reasoning must link impact to management, not just list impacts.
Traps that cost marks
- Calling all renewable resources automatically sustainable.
- Confusing conservation (wise use) with preservation (no use).
- Treating an EIA as a one-off report rather than an ongoing process.
- Ignoring local people's access to water and land.