https://www.google.com.ph/search?

q=ecology+hd+natural+resources&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwiF0JHpmqvrAhXPxIsBHfQ5BJEQ2-

Rosemarie L. Villanueva, Ed.D.

Hilario S. Taberna Jr., MSci.
Liane D. Delfiño, Ed.D.
gb

Natural resources, including forest, water, mineral, energy and

fertile land, are the basis for our life on Earth. However, the
rapid growth of the human population leads to the growing
consumption of these resources thus causing severe damage.
Our climate is changing; freshwater reserves, fish stocks, and
forests are shrinking; fertile land is being destroyed and
species are becoming extinct. To continue to thrive on this
planet, our lifestyles will need to become more sustainable, so
that we can protect our natural resource base and the fragile
ecosystems on our planet.

In this module you will learn the following lessons:

Lesson 1 – Natural Resources and Man
Lesson 2 – Natural Resources and Associated
Problems
Lesson 3 – Management and Conservation of Natural
Resources

Module Outcomes:
At the end of the module, you must have:
1. identified the different natural resources;
2. discussed the human impacts on natural resources;
3. listed and elaborated the problems associated with our natural resources;
4. discussed the different management and conservation approaches
related to natural resources; and
5. developed strategies in the management and conservation of natural
resources.

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Before you start with the lessons in this module, familiarize yourself with the terms listed
in Table 1.

Table 1. Terms you need to know in this module.

Natural Resources Any material given to us by nature which can be transformed
in a way that it becomes more valuable and useful

Sustainability Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the

ability of future generations to meet their needs

Renewable Resources that can be renewed along with their exploitation

Resources and are always available for use

Non-renewable Resources that when used in an unlimited way, cannot be

Resources easily replaced and their exploitation at large scale will result
in their fast depletion

Cyclic Resources Resources that there is no final use as they can be used
continuously

Biotic Resources Resources derived from living organisms

Abiotic Resources Resources derived from the non-living world

Human Development Clear indicators of sustainable lifestyles in human life. It

Index includes: (1) Increased longevity; (2) An increase in
knowledge; and (3) An enhancement of income.

High-Quality Indicated by the following: (1) A stabilized population; (2) The

Ecosystem long term conservation of biodiversity; (3) The careful long-
term use of natural resources; and (4) The prevention of
degradation and pollution of the environment.

Mineral A naturally occurring substance of definite chemical

composition and identifiable physical properties.

Ore A mineral or combination of minerals from which a useful

substance, such as a metal, can be extracted and used to
manufacture a useful product.

Natural Resource The sustainable utilization of major natural resources, such

Management as land, water, air, minerals, forests, fisheries, and wild flora
and fauna.

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 Lesson Outcomes
At the end of the lesson, you must have:
1. identified the different natural resources; and
2. discussed the human impacts on natural resources.

"Natural resources determine the course of development and constitute the

challenge which may or may not be accepted by the human mind” W. Arthur Lewis.

Natural resources are useful raw materials that we get from the Earth. They occur
naturally, which means that humans cannot make natural resources. Instead, we
use and modify natural resources in ways that are beneficial to us. The materials
used in human-made objects are natural resources.
What does the earth, the environment ‘do’ for humans and other species? In very
general terms, the earth serves three functions for humans:

 First, it provides them with living space.

 Second, it serves as a stock of resources that humans use to meet
various needs.
 Third, it serves as a waste repository. We have to put our waste
somewhere. It is not just human waste but also solid waste and toxic
waste – there are air and water pollution, etc.
Now, most societies figure out that the better they separate these three functions,
the better their living conditions will be. You don’t live in the middle of the forest;
you’re cutting down for your houses. You don’t dump your waste in your back yard,
‘foul your nest,’ so to speak. And of course, the environment provides us with more
than material wealth. We will discuss the role of natural resources in all this.

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Engage

You will perform the activity, “Natural Resources “.

Air inside the plastic Glass of Water

https://clientearth.org https//sitn.hms.harvard.edu

Handful of Soil Piece of Rock

Piece of Rock

https://theconservation.com https://reddit.com

What is the first thing you think when you see the objects above? List down your
intellectual guesses.

Explore

List down the different natural resources found in your community and record
their importance to you.

Furthermore, answer the following questions:

 What are the natural resources?
 How do people use natural resources?
 Could we survive without natural resources?
 Which resource do you think is the most important? Why?

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Explain

I. Types of Natural Resources

Resources can be classified based on their origin as biotic and abiotic. Another
way of classification of resources is the amount of the resources available for the
consumption of man. Through this, resources can be classified into renewable and
non-renewable natural resources.
Biotic Resources – are derived from living organisms.
Abiotic Resources – are derived from the non-living world (e. g. land, water
and air).
Renewable Resources – are resources that can be renewed along with their
exploitation and are always available for use.
Non-renewable Resources – are resources that when used in an unlimited
way, cannot be easily replaced and their exploitation at large scale will result
in their fast depletion

As the human population is increasing at an enormous rate, we have reached 7.4

billion today. Naturally, this means that we are utilizing more and more natural
resources. If we go at this rate, we will soon reach a day when nature will not be
able to provide us with resources such as plants and trees, animals, mineral ores,
fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum and natural gas.

If the use of these resources is not monitored carefully, these will be no food for
our coming generations to eat, no energy for them to power their machines, and
no material for them to build a shelter with. This is why it is important to understand
which resources are exhaustible and which are not and to practice sustainable
development. This is nothing but the development needs to meet the needs of
the present generations.

II. Importance of Natural Resources

A. Nature helps maintain the environmental balance and satisfy our needs
to the fullest.

B. A wide range of industrial material and biological material from plants

and animals directly or indirectly is used in the production and
manufacturing of medicine.

C. Resources are known as capital converted to commodity inputs to the

infrastructural capital process.

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 D. The “3R Concept” which means “Reduce”, “Reuse” and “Recycle” can
be applied in the conservation of our natural resources. An example is
a paper; our used papers can be reused by recycling it and turn into a
new paper product.

E. Resources are important for the development of any country. For

example, to generate energy, one needs fossil fuel; and for industrial
development, we require mineral resources.

F. Irrational consumption and overutilization of natural resources have led

to socio-economic and environmental problems.

G. Natural resources are available in fixed quantity and they are non-
renewable.

H. Natural resources are getting scarce with the increasing population, so

it is essential to conserve them. This empowers us as well as our future
generation to utilize natural resources to the full extent.

I. It takes millions of years for the formation of natural resources.

J. They play a vital role in the economic development of the country by

enriching agricultural trade, imports and exports, etc.

III. Human Impact in the Environment

The human population is growing rapidly. Population growth and other factors such
as emerging technologies of every nation have had a detrimental effect on the
environment. Humans threaten to make the earth inhabitable as the population
increases, more waste materials are being produced, thus, rapidly polluting the
soil, air and water. This makes human activity increasingly destroying the natural
habitats, risking biodiversity, and endangering future species.

IV. Causes of Depletion of Natural Resources

A. Overpopulation
The total global population is more than seven billion people. Still, there
is a consistent increase in the overall earth populace and this has been
a critical factor in accelerating the depletion of natural resources. An
increase in the populace expands the need for resources and conditions
necessary to sustain it. Also, it contributes to increased ecological
contamination. Research further indicates that developing countries are
using more and more resources to industrialize and support their ever-

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 increasing population. Hence, the depletion of natural resources will
continue as long as the world population increases.

B. Poor Farming Practices

Humans are causing a lot of stress to land resources due to the over-
reliance on food production for daily nutritional requirements. Poor
irrigation practices, for example, are a key contributing factor to
salinization and alkalization of the soil that sustains plant growth. Poor
soil management practices and the use of heavy machinery and farming
equipment also destroy the soil structure making it unsuitable for plant
growth.

Some farming practices such as excessive use of pesticides, fungicides

and herbicides equally kill important soil micro-organisms that are
essential in replenishing nutrients in the soil.

C. Logging

The World Bank reported that the net loss of global forest between 1990
and 2016 was 1.3 million square kilometers. On the same note, tropical
deforestation is estimated to occur at a rate of one percent annually,
especially in Latin America regions. People are clearing forests primarily
for agricultural reasons due to the increase in the population pressure.

Humans are also cutting down trees to make space for residential
complexes and multiplexes. Through deforestation, the planet not only
loses tress but also thousands of animals and great plant biodiversity
due to the destruction of their natural habitats. Moreover, increased
logging activities lead to soil erosion that degrades natural soil minerals.

D. Overconsumption of Natural Resources

The 1760 industrial revolution saw large-scale mineral and oil
exploration and the practice have been gradually growing, leading to
more and more natural oil and mineral depletion. And together with the
advancements in technology, development, and research in the
contemporary era; exploitation of minerals has become easier and
humans are digging deeper to access different ore. The increased
exploitation of different minerals has led to some of them entering into a
production decline.

For example, minerals such as gasoline, copper and zinc production are
estimated to decline in the next 20 years. Plus, oil mining continues to

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 rise due to the upsurge in the number of engines that use petroleum
thereby magnifying its depletion. The peak oil theory supports this fact
by putting forward that it will come a time when the globe will experience
uncertainties on alternative means of fuels owing to the over-harvesting
of petroleum.

E. Pollution

An increase in population and modern anthropogenic activities is a major

contributor to the disposal of pollutants into the natural environment and
as such, the value of natural environments is gradually exposed to
degradation. The soil, air, lakes, and seas are being contaminated with
sewage, radioactive, materials, and toxic chemicals among other
pollutants.

Uncontrolled release of carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, sulfur oxide,

and carbon dioxide, for example, have resulted in the degradation of the
ozone layer and global warming – environmental changes with their
resultant depletive impacts on different natural habitats. Millions of
different animal and plant species have thus lost their natural habitats
and are on the verge of extinction.

F. Industrial and Technological Development

The present-day world is incessantly becoming industrialized as more

and more countries make major technological breakthroughs. But as
technological advancements continue, there is similarly a considerable
growth in industries that release toxins and chemical by-products which
are eventually deposited in lakes, soils and lands. As a result, the by-
products and toxic materials alter natural habits such as aquatic systems
and wildlife.

Examples of the impacts include acidic lakes, dead zones, and the death
of wildlife as well as aquatic life. Industrial and technological
advancements have also driven the demand for virgin materials for
research, development and production. More resources are hence being
used to satisfy the industrial demands, increasing the rate of natural
resource depletion.

Elaborate

Create a story or short poem about the Earth’s natural resources that you most
benefit.

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Evaluate

Name: Date:
Program and Section: Score:

Direction: This activity will help you assess your knowledge of the definition and types of
natural resources provided by the Earth. Determine whether the following
statements are true or false. Underline or circle the answer.

1. Extreme radiation from the sun can be harnessed to generate electricity.

True | False

2. Renewable energy originates from natural sources such as coal, natural gas,
or nuclear power.

True | False

3. Fossil fuels like petroleum and coal are not classified as biotic resources.

True | False

4. Water is the most abundant resource on the planet.

True | False

5. Plants are biotic, non-renewable resources that provide food, materials for
shelter, and habitat for wildlife.

True | False

6. Conservation of natural resources is necessary considering some of these

would deplete if overused.

True | False

7. It is not impossible for humans to create natural resources.

True | False

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8. Minerals, such as diamond, are naturally occurring inorganic materials with
definite chemical composition.

True | False

9. Coal is formed from prehistoric plant remains, composed largely of carbon and
burned to produce water.

True | False

10. Renewable energy sources do not deplete and are constantly replaced.

True | False

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 Lesson Outcomes
At the end of the lesson, you must have:
1. identified the problems associated with the use of our natural
resources; and
2. recognized the consequences of human actions on the use of
natural resources.

The Philippines is endowed with rich natural resources. It has fertile and arable
lands, is one of the world’s 17 mega-diverse countries, has some of the most
extensive water resources in the world, and is one of the world’s most highly
mineralized countries with 39 percent of the national land area having high mineral
potential. The natural resources are essential to our country’s development and to
our survival, but if the natural resources are consumed at a faster rate than their
natural regeneration, they can be depleted. Also, the transformation of natural
resources into valuable and useful goods results in the formation of waste products
that could pollute the environment unless the industry and the people carefully
manage its generated wastes.

Engage

List down the natural resources that can be found in your area and answer the
following question:
1. Are all the people in your area have equal access to it?
2. Are the people using those resources sustainably?
3. What are the problems that you encountered in the use of these
resources?

Natural Equal Access Sustainable Problems

Resource Use
Yes No Yes No

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Explore

Watch the following videos and write a synthesis paper on the topics presented:
1. https://youtu.be/9aQbMrHbKWE
2. https://youtu.be/SW0dXB9KH8g
3. https://youtu.be/ZwfGHRs_IqM

Explain

I. Problems Associated with Natural Resources

A. The unequal consumption of natural resources: A major part of natural

resources is today consumed in the technologically advanced or
‘developed’ world, usually termed ‘the North’. The ‘developing nations’
of ‘the South’, including India and China, also overuse many resources
because of their greater human population. However, the consumption
of resources per capita (per individual) of the developed countries is up
to 50 times greater than in most developing countries. Advanced
countries produce over 75% of global industrial waste and greenhouse
gases. Lack of access to natural resources by most of the population is
a key cause of poverty, a driver of conflict, and an obstacle to national
development.

B. Planning Land Use: Land itself is a major resource, needed for food
production, animal husbandry, industry, and for our growing human
settlements. These forms of intensive land use are frequently extended
at the cost of ‘wildlands’, our remaining forests, grasslands, wetlands,
and deserts. Thus, it is essential to develop a rational land-use policy
that examines how much land must be made available for different
purposes and where it must be situated.

C. The need for sustainable lifestyles: Human standard of living and the
health of the ecosystem are indicators of sustainable use of resources
in any country or region. Ironically, both are not in concurrence with each
other. Increasing the level of one usually leads to the degradation of the
other. Development policies, therefore, should be formulated to strike a
balance between the two.

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II. Different Kinds of Resources and Associated Problems
A. Forest Resources
Forest is an important renewable resource. Forest varies in composition
and diversity and can contribute substantially to the economic
development of any country. The Philippines has a total of 30 million
hectares of land area. Before Spanish colonialization, 90 percent of the
land area was made up of forestland. The Philippine forest is home to
different species of flora and fauna, has helped in carbon sequestration,
and is also a source of livelihood, food, fuel and/or shelter for Filipinos.
However, over time, forest land has decreased due to deforestation,
increased population, conversion to agricultural lands, and logging.

To date, the Philippines’ forestland is at 57.2 percent (15.8 million

hectares), while alienable and disposable land is at 47.3 percent.
However, not all forest lands have forested areas. Only 6.84 million
hectares are forested areas which are composed of open forest (67 %),
closed forest (28 %), and mangrove (5%). The current deforestation rate
is around 2.1 percent per year, representing a significant drop from the
1990’s rate, but still the second-highest rate in Southeast Asia (after
Myanmar). The main direct cause of forest degradation in the Philippines
is over-exploitation from logging, fueled by weak governance, the
capture of resources by elite groups, failure to collect rents from
licensees, short-sighted and unpredictable policies, rapid population
growth and increased conversion of forest land to agricultural,
residential and commercial uses. Additional threats come from mining
operations, collection of fuel wood, and poor management by the
government and tenured stakeholders. Deforestation effects include: the
extinction or near extinction of endemic species (e.g., Philippine
tamaraw or wild buffalo, Philippine eagle); loss of valuable topsoil;
landslides, and silted streams; and destruction of coastal mangroves.

B. Water Resources
Water is one of the most essential needs of human beings and is
necessary for almost all economic activities such as growing food,
manufacturing all kinds of products, and generating renewable energy,
among others. The Philippines has extensive water resources, including
31,000 hectares of rivers; 200,000 hectares of lakes; 19,000 hectares of
reservoirs; and more than 100,000 hectares of wetlands. There are 421
river basins, of which 20 are considered major river basins. Major rivers
are the Cagayan – the country’s longest river – the Agno, Pampanga,

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Pasig and Bicol rivers in Luzon, and the Rio Grande de Mindanao. There
are 59 significant lakes; 16 lakes cover 400 hectares or more. The
largest lakes are the Laguna de Bay on Luzon and Lake Lanao on
Mindanao.
Philippine rivers and lakes are home to more than 316 fish species,
some of which are endemic (Philippine coastal waters are considered
the center of marine biodiversity in the world). Groundwater reservoirs
have a storage capacity of 251,100 million cubic meters and a
dependable supply of 180,000 million cubic meters per year. Total
renewable water resources equal to 479 cubic kilometers. The average
annual rainfall is 2348 millimeters.

The largest share of total water withdrawal is for agriculture, with

irrigation, livestock, and fisheries representing 82 percent of total water
use, while industry and domestic sectors share the rest. 96 percent of
total water withdrawals are from surface water with 4 percent from
groundwater. Groundwater use is reserved primarily for domestic
drinking purposes and is distributed as 63 percent for domestic use; 17
percent for industry; 13 percent for agriculture; 1 percent for power
generation; and 6 percent for other sectors. Many people fish for home
consumption or small-scale commercial activities. 3.4 percent of the
workforce was employed in the fishing industry in 2014. Ten major lakes
are used for aquaculture production.

Water supplies are generally sufficient for local needs but there are
water deficits in highly populated areas, particularly in regions with
limited supplies. Only 43 percent of the population has access to piped
water into private premises although the figure drops to 25 percent in
rural areas. And the water quality is worsening. The discharge of
municipal and industrial wastewater and agricultural runoff has caused
extensive pollution. Only 10 percent of municipal wastewater undergoes
secondary or tertiary treatment. Experts have concluded that 50 river
systems are biologically dead or dying due to pollution from human
trash, commercial agricultural chemicals, untreated raw sewage, animal
wastes, and industrial wastes. Fewer than 4 percent of urban
households have access to sewerage systems. In Metro Manila, nine
river sub-basins are used as dumpsites. One-third of the country’s river
systems remain as potential sources of drinking water. Up to 58 percent
of groundwater is contaminated due to the leaching of industrial,
agrochemical, and animal wastes and infiltration of subsurface
discharge from septic systems and polluted urban runoffs. Over-

| 15
 extraction of groundwater has led to a decline in levels, drying up of wells
and springs, and contamination of wells by saltwater intrusion in coastal
areas. Over-exploitation of forest resources and inappropriate land-use
practices have disrupted the hydrological condition of watersheds,
resulting in accelerated soil erosion, siltation of rivers and valuable
reservoirs, increased incidence and severity of flooding and decreasing
water supply. Groundwater, the source of most drinking water, is
projected to be inadequate to meet the demand in major cities by 2025.
Without new investment in water supply infrastructure, future projections
of water requirements suggest that water availability will be marginal or
unsatisfactory in eight of the 19 major river basins before 2025, and most
major urban centers will experience water deficits.

Climate change is projected to have a significant impact on the

Philippines. Water availability and management are likely to become
more challenging over time due to the severity of both droughts and
deluges are expected to heighten.

C. Mineral Resources
A mineral is a naturally occurring substance of definite chemical
composition and identifiable physical properties. An ore is a mineral or
combination of minerals from which a useful substance, such as a metal,
can be extracted and used to manufacture a useful product. Minerals
are formed for millions of years in the earth’s crust. Iron, aluminum, zinc,
manganese and copper are important raw materials for industrial use.
Important non-metal resources include coal, salt, clay, cement and
silica. The stone used for building material, such as granite, marble,
limestone, constitute another category of minerals. Minerals with special
properties that humans value for their aesthetic and ornamental value
are gems such as diamonds, emeralds and rubies. The luster of gold,
silver and platinum is used for ornaments. Minerals in the form of oil, gas
and coal were formed when ancient plants and animals were converted
into underground fossil fuels. Minerals and their ores need to be
extracted from the earth’s interior so that they can be used. This process
is known as mining. The harnessing of this resource contributes
significantly to the economic development of the country in terms of
employment generation, export earnings, taxes and fees paid to the
government and infrastructure development.
The Philippines is the fifth most mineralized country in the world. About
39 percent of the national land area has high mineral potential. Globally,
the country ranks third in gold reserves, fourth in copper and fifth in

| 16
nickel. In total, estimated levels of metallic mineral resources are 14.5
billion metric tons and 67.7 billion metric tons of nonmetallic resources.
Nickel is the largest metallic reserve; limestone and marble are the most
significant nonmetallic mineral resources. The country has proven crude
oil reserves of 138.5 billion barrels and 98.5 billion cubic meters of
natural gas. There were reports in 2015 of the discovery of a new oil field
near Cebu containing an estimated 104 million barrels and a report of a
large new natural gas deposit in Isabela.

In 2013, there were 113 large-scale mines employing 20 or more people.

300,000 people are employed in small-scale mining. In 2009 there were
over 1,000 small-scale metallic mines, and 2,359 nonmetallic mines in
operation. Small-scale mines produce about 80 percent of the country’s
gold supply. In addition to large reserves of gold and copper and nickel,
the country also has significant deposits of iron, chromite, manganese,
cobalt, lead, zinc, molybdenum, mercury and aluminum. And a large
palladium deposit was discovered offshore in 2014. The Philippines has
over 11 million hectares of potential sites for mineral resource
development, but only a small fraction of that area is under exploration
or development. Untapped mineral wealth is estimated at more than US
$1.4 trillion and could be more based on a 2006 estimate of as much as
US $1 trillion in untapped minerals on Mindanao alone.

Mineral lands are mostly in upland areas which are also rich biodiversity
areas and often within the ancestral domains of indigenous people. More
than half of active mining concessions and two-thirds of exploratory
concessions are in areas of high seismic risk. There are security risks
for some companies, especially those mining in the Mindanao area
(several activist groups have damaged mining sites and company
equipment). Mining often leads to deforestation and the destruction of
ecological systems, subsidence and sinking of communities, and
displacement of communities. The spilling of mine wastes/tailings
causes flooding, damages farmlands, and results in the biological death
of rivers. For example, in 1996 the Marcopper Mining Disaster on
Marinduque Island involved an old mine-pit used as a disposal pond for
mine waste which ruptured and discharged about 1.6 million cubic
meters of tailings along 27 kilometers of the Boac river system and the
coastal areas near its mouth. The disaster heavily damaged the river
system and destroyed low-lying farmlands in the area. Concerns over
negative environmental and social impacts have led to opposition to the
proposed Tampacan gold mining project in Mindanao.

| 17
D. Land Resources
Land and soil resource, particularly those devoted to agricultural uses,
are important resources of the country because it is directly related to
food production, which necessitates the understanding of its nature and
characteristics to optimally manage and conserve them.
The Philippines is an archipelago of 7,107 islands covering 300,000
square kilometers (30 million hectares) – 298,170 square kilometers of
land and 1,830 square kilometers of water. It has three major island
groups: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The Philippines is recognized as
one of the world’s 17 mega-diversity countries, with more than 50,000
species of flora and fauna (more than 65 percent of which are endemic).
It is also one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, with a large number of
endangered and threatened species making it a global conservation
priority area.

The Philippines had an estimated population of 100,699,395 in 2015, of

which 44.4 percent is urban and 55.6 percent is rural. The country’s
labor force is around 41 million people or 61.3 percent of the total
population age 15 and over, of whom 30 percent are employed in
agriculture, 16 percent in industry, and 54 percent in services.

Of the total land area, arable land constitutes 18.7 percent, with 17.9
percent in permanent crops. In 2012, there were 16,300 square
kilometers of irrigated land. Approximately 45 percent of agricultural
lands are moderately or severely eroded; approximately 27.3 percent of
the country is vulnerable to drought, floods, and typhoons. Land
degradation exacerbates the effects of natural disasters, causing
massive landslides and flooding.

Land distribution is skewed. In the rural sector, there are an estimated

4.2 million small farms that average less than 1.5 hectares and 8,475
large private landholdings of up to 25,000 hectares. 89 percent of farm
holdings are less than 3 hectares. There are 10.2 million marginal
farmers and farm workers, 70 percent of whom are landless. The
number of informal settlements in rural areas is unknown. Since the
1930s, the State has instituted various land reforms, the most recent of
which is the 1988 Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law. While
considerable swaths of land have been redistributed, the most
contentious private agricultural lands, which are also the most
productive and fertile, remain with wealthy private landowners.

| 18
 Rural poverty and a high population growth rate have resulted in rapid
urbanization. Of an estimated urban population of 44.1 million people,
more than 9 million live in informal settlements (as of 2011). In Metro
Manila, the largest urban center, approximately 25 percent of the
population (584,000 households) lives on riverbanks, bridges, railroad
easements, cemeteries, garbage dumps, and idle lands.

Elaborate

Watch the following videos:

1. https://youtu.be/zeaE-8rlXGY
2. https://www.facebook.com/DENROfficial/videos/202794033993819/
?v=202794033993819
3. https://youtu.be/Hrmp5kz2nM8
4. https://youtu.be/3Ibkt0gWKho
5. https://youtu.be/Zf_owl4bIZM
6. https://youtu.be/_AdYPWfOLnQ
In a tabular form, identify the problems and enumerate the consequences
associated with the use of natural resources.

Natural Resource Problem Consequences

To understand the interrelationships between humans and the Earth system

(involves the extraction, refinement and distribution of the planet’s mineral wealth),
do a research on a mineral commodity that is mined in your locality, in the province
or the country. What products are made from this mineral? Do you use these
products? Describe the mining and refining of the mineral and the local impact
these processes have on each of Earth’s spheres (atmosphere, hydrosphere, solid
Earth, and biosphere). Are any of the effects negative? If so, what, if anything, is
being done to end or minimize the damage? In your opinion does the
environmental impact of extracting this mineral outweigh the benefits derived from
the products produced from this mineral?

| 19
Evaluate

Name: Date:
Program and Section: Score:

Multiple Choice

Direction: Encircle the letter that corresponds to the BEST answer.

1. Materials we take from the environment and use are called:

A. Minerals B. Natural Resources C. Energy D. Pollutants

2. ___________ and ____________ are the two major factors responsible for
environmental degradation in developing countries.
A. Anarchy and conflict
B. Population and social media
C. Greed for material goods and population explosion
D. Politics and social media

3. It is essential to come up with a rational land-use policy that examines how much
land must be made available for different purposes and where it must be
situated.
A. Location map B. Land-use planning
C. A stabilized population D. Location planning

4. It is a mineral or combination of minerals from which a useful substance, such

as a metal, can be extracted and used to manufacture a useful product. This
material is referred to as:
A. Ore B. Mining C. Alloy D. Soil E. Rock

5. Minerals are an important resource that comes from the earth. Which is NOT
an example of a mineral?
A. Salt B. Chromite C. Glass D. Iron E. Calcite

6. The two indicators of the sustainable use of resources are:

A. The poor quality of human life and the ecosystems on earth
B. Food security and the world’s food problem
C. Loss of genetic diversity and soil pollution
D. Over-utilization and pollution of groundwater
E. The quality of human life and the quality of ecosystems on earth

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 Lesson Outcomes
At the end of the lesson, you must have:
1. discussed the different management and conservation
approaches related to natural resources, and
2. developed strategies in management and conservation of
natural resources.

The earth has a limited supply of natural resources which includes all things that
help support life, such as water, soil, minerals, plants and animals. The use of
these resources keeps increasing as the population grows and the standard of
living rises which will result in depletion of natural resources. Conservationists
work to ensure that the environment can continue to keep human needs, like;
water, forest, minerals, plants and animals sustain the current and future
generations of humans as well as other forms of life on earth.

Engage

Environmental Spending Account

When you were born, you were granted an environmental account. Imagine further
that this environmental account contained all of the resources you would ever
have. Once the resources run out, you would be unable to gain more from any
other source. Imagine, finally that the number of resources in your account was
not accurately known. You couldn’t even compute how many resources you had
spent, let alone figure out how many were left.
How would you spend your environmental account?

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Explore

Watch the video and answer the following questions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l1gNtrBQMI

What is conservation? Why is it important?

In your home how do you conserve water?

Explain

I. Management and Conservation Approaches Related to Natural Resources

Natural resources can be managed or they can be over-exploited, depending on
several factors related to economics, human behavior, and specific management
practices. Proper resource management is dependent on the type of natural
resources involved as well as the agency and the guidelines under which it
operates.
Natural resource management refers to the sustainable utilization of major natural
resources, such as land, water, air, minerals, forests, fisheries, and wild flora and
fauna. Together, these resources provide the ecosystem services that provide
better quality to human life.
A. Forest Conservation and Management
Sustainable forestry is the use and management of forest ecosystems
in a way that meets the needs of the current generation without
compromising the ability of future generations to use the forests.
Ecologically sustainable forest management seeks to conserve forests
for the long-term commercial harvest of timber and non-timber forest
products. Sustainable forestry also intends to sustain biological diversity
by providing improved habitats for a variety of species, to prevent soil
erosion and improve soil conditions, and to preserve watersheds that
produce clean water. Effective sustainable forest management involves
cooperation among environmentalists, loggers, farmers, indigenous
people, and local and national governments. (Raven)
We can sustain forests by emphasizing the economic value of their
ecosystem services, protecting old-growth forests, harvesting trees no
faster than they are replenished and planting trees to re-established
forests.
Three widely used approaches to managing forests are maximum
sustainable yield, ecosystem-based management, and adaptive
management.

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The maximum sustainable yield (MSY) approach involves harvesting the
maximum amount of trees without reducing future yields. Trees in a
forest or plantation grow fastest at an intermediate age. Then they slow
down and eventually reach a maximum size based on the carrying
capacity of their environment. The goal of maximum sustainable yield
management is to harvest trees of an intermediate size.
The goal of ecosystem-based management is to harvest a renewable
resource such as trees in ways that minimize the harmful impacts of
harvesting on an ecosystem and the ecological services it provides. This
can be a useful approach. However, it is often limited because of a lack
of knowledge about how ecosystems in different areas work.
Adaptive management involves using available knowledge to harvest
forests or other resources, evaluating the results, and modifying the
approach, or using a different approach as needed. This approach
recognizes that there will be failures because of inadequate ecological
knowledge and that we can learn from such failures.
 Improving Management of Forest Fires
Another approach is to thin forest areas vulnerable to the fire by
clearing away small fire-prone trees and underbrush under
careful environmental controls. It can include the use of
prescribed burns to remove flammable debris produced by this
process. This can help prevent the loss of economically valuable
timber and wildlife habitats. It can also reduce the rapidly rising
costs of fighting an increasing number of large forest fires.

 Reducing the Demand for Harvested Trees

One way to reduce demand for harvested trees is to produce tree-
free paper. Pulp from trees is typically used to make paper, but
paper manufacturers can also use fibers from non-tree sources.
For example, China uses rice straw and other agricultural
residues to make some of its paper.
The pressure to cut trees to make paper could be greatly reduced
by planting and harvesting a fast-growing plant known as kenaf.
Most of the small amount of tree-free paper produced in the
United States is made from the fibers of a rapidly growing woody
annual plant called kenaf. Kenaf and other non tree fibers such
as hemp yield more paper pulp per area of land than tree farms
do without using pesticides and herbicides. According to the
USDA, kenaf is “the best option for tree-free papermaking in the
United States” and could replace wood-based paper within 20–
30 years.

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 Another way to reduce the demand for tree cutting is to reduce
the use of throwaway paper products made from trees. Instead,
we can choose reusable plates, cups, cloth napkins and
handkerchiefs, and cloth bags.
One way to reduce the severity of the firewood crisis in less-
developed countries is to establish small plantations of fast-
growing firewood trees and shrubs around farms and in
community woodlots. Providing villagers with affordable and
more fuel-efficient wood stoves and solar-powered ovens is
another way to reduce cutting down trees for firewood. Another
option is stoves that burn renewable biomass, such as sun-dried
roots of various gourds and squash plants, or methane produced
from crop and animal wastes. In addition to reducing
unsustainable deforestation, these options would greatly reduce
the large number of deaths caused by indoor air pollution from
open fires and poorly designed stoves. Another way to make
charcoal from the fibers is a waste product called bagasse, which
is leftover from sugar cane processing in countries like the
Philippines.

 Reducing Tropical Deforestation

At the international level, debt-for-nature swaps can make it
financially attractive for countries to protect their tropical forests
and use them more sustainably. Under the terms of such swaps,
participating countries agree to set aside and protect forest
reserves in return for foreign aid or debt relief. In a similar
strategy, called conservation concessions, governments or
private conservation organizations pay nations for agreeing to
preserve their natural resources such as forests. An example of
debt for nature swaps is the Adopt-a-Mountain Project of the ISAT
U Leon Campus Extension Office.
People who live in tropical forests, many of them poor farmers
trying to feed their families, also want to help sustain tropical
forests. Many of them are looking for ways to grow the food they
need without having to cut and burn trees, and several
organizations are assisting them like the Bantay Kalikasan of the
ABS-CBN Foundation.
Another important strategy is reforestation which is the replanting
of forests, especially on degraded and abandoned land.
Throughout the world, reforestation promotes biodiversity,
conserves topsoil, and reduces flooding. It also provides firewood
and helps slow climate change by removing CO2 from the
atmosphere. In Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Pista y Kagueban, or
Feast of the Forest is celebrated to raise awareness of the people

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 about the importance of forest conservation. It is an annual tree
planting event held every third week of June.

B. Water Conservation and Management

Water conservation is the careful use and protection of water resources.
It involves both the quantity of water used and its quality. Conservation
is an important component of sustainable water use.
 Agricultural Use
Improved irrigation could reduce agricultural withdrawals by 20%
to 30%. Because agriculture is the biggest water user, this would
be a huge savings. Suggestions for agricultural conservation
include the following:

o Price agricultural water to encourage conservation

(subsidizing water encourage overuse).
o Use lined or covered canals that reduce seepage and
evaporation.
o Use computer monitoring and schedule release of water
for maximum efficiency.
o Integrate the use of surface water and groundwater to
more effectively use the total resource. That is, irrigate with
surplus surface water when it is abundant, and also use
surplus surface water to recharge groundwater aquifers,
using specially designed infiltration ponds or injection
wells. When surface water is in short supply, use more
groundwater.
o Irrigate when evaporation is minimal, such as at a night or
in the early morning.
o Use improved irrigation systems, such as sprinklers or drip
irrigation that apply water to crops more effectively.
o Improve land preparation for water application – that is,
improve the soil so that more water sinks in and less
runoff. Where applicable, use a mulch to help retain water
around plants.
o Encourage the development of crops that require less
water or are more salt-tolerant, so that less periodic
flooding of irrigated land is necessary to remove
accumulated salts in the soil.

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 Public Supply and Domestic Use
Public supply water use is concentrated in urban areas and may
pose major local problems in areas where water is periodically or
often in short supply. The population of the Philippines continues
to grow, and many urban areas are experiencing or will
experience the impact of population growth on water supply.
Most water in homes is used in the bathroom and for washing
laundry and dishes. Domestic water use can be substantially
reduced at a relatively small cost by the following measures:

o Replace lawns with decorative gravel and native plants.

o Use more efficient bathroom fixtures, such as low-flow
toilets that use 1.6 gallons or less per flush rather than the
standard 5 gallons, and low-flow showerheads that still
deliver sufficient water.
o Flush only when necessary.
o Turn off the water when not needed for washing, brushing
teeth, shaving, and so on.
o Fix all leaks quickly like dripping pipes, faucets, toilets, or
garden hoses wastewater.
o Purchase dishwashers and laundry machines that
minimize water use.
o Take a long bath rather than a long shower.
o Don’t hose sidewalks and driveways; sweep them.
o Consider using gray water (from showers, bathtubs, sinks,
and washing machines) to water vegetation.
o Water lawns and plants in the early morning, late
afternoon, or at night to reduced evaporation.
o Plant drought-resistant vegetation that requires less water.
o Use drip irrigation and place water- holding mulch around
garden plants.
o Learn how to read the water meter to monitor for
unobserved leaks and record your conservation
successes.
o Use reclaimed water from wastewater treatment plants.

 Industry and Manufacturing Use

Water conservation by industry can be improved. For instance,
water use for steam generation of electricity could be reduced 25
to 30% by using cooling towers that require less or no water.
Manufacturing and industry could curb water use by increasing
in-plant treatment and recycling water and by developing new
equipment and processes that require less water.

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 Sustainability and Water Management
“The main goal of water management is to provide a sustainable
supply of high-quality water. Sustainable water use means
humans use water resources carefully so that water is available
for future generations and existing nonhuman needs.” (Raven)

Because water is essential to sustain life and maintain ecological

systems necessary for human survival, it plays an important role
in ecosystem support, economic development, cultural values,
and community well-being.
 Sustainable Water Use
From a supply and management perspective, sustainable water
use can be defined as the use of water resources in a way that
allows society to develop and flourish in an indefinite future
without degrading the various components of the hydrologic cycle
or the ecological systems that depend on it. Some general criteria
for water-use sustainability are as follows.
o Develop enough water resources to maintain human
health and well-being.
o Provide sufficient water resources to guarantee the health
and maintenance of ecosystems.
o Ensure basic standards of water quality for the various
users of water resources.
o Ensure that people do not damage or reduce the long-term
renewability of water resources.
o Promote the use of water-efficient technology and
practice.
o Gradually eliminate water-pricing policies that subsidized
the inefficient use of water.

 Groundwater Sustainability
The concept of sustainability, by definition, implies a long-term
perspective. With groundwater resources, effective management
for sustainability requires an even longer time frame than for other
renewable resources. Surface waters, for example, may be
replaced over a relatively short time, whereas replacement of
groundwater may take place slowly over many years. The effects
of pumping groundwater faster than it is being replenished –
drying up of springs, weaker stream flow – may not be noticed
until years after pumping begins. The long-term approach to
sustainability concerning groundwater is not to take out more
than is going in; to keep monitoring input and adjusting the output
accordingly.

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 Ways to prevent or slow groundwater depletion
Prevention
o Use water more efficiently
o Subsidize water conservation
o Limit number of wells
o Stop growing water-intensive crops in dry areas
Control
o Raise the price of water to discourage waste
o Tax water pumped from wells near-surface water
o Build rain gardens in urban areas
o Use permeable paving material on streets, sidewalks, and
driveways
 Water Management

Maintaining a water supply is a complex issue that will become

more difficult as the demand for water increases in the coming
years. Options for minimizing problems include finding alternative
water supplies and managing existing supplies better. It seems
apparent that water will become much more expensive in the
future; and if the price is right, many innovative programs are
possible.
The variable-water-source approach uses several interrelated
measures to meet present and future demand. Details of the plan
include importing water, developing new sources, using
reclaimed water, and instituting a permanent conservation
program. There will be an installation of a desalination plant near
the ocean and a wastewater treatment plant for industries.
Another possible emergency plan might involve the treatment of
wastewater. Its reuse regularly is expensive, but planning to
reuse treated wastewater during emergencies is a wise decision.
Finally, we should develop plans to use surface water when
available, and not be afraid to use groundwater as needed in dry
years. During wet years, natural recharge as well as artificial
recharge (pumping excess surface water into the ground) will
replenish the groundwater. This water-management plan
recognizes that excesses and deficiencies in water are natural
and can be planned for.

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C. Mineral Conservation and Management
Mineral resources are finite and non-renewable. Continued extraction
of ore minerals for raw materials is downsizing its amount underneath.
Surficial mineral deposits are getting exhausted rapidly by open cast
mining and urge for deep-seated mineral extraction. The depleting
scenario of mineral resource concerns over its futuristic availability.
Therefore conservation of minerals needs to be enforced to use our
mineral resources in a planned and sustainable manner.

Much of our civilization’s technology depends on minerals, and certain

minerals may be unavailable or quite limited in the future. Therefore,
we should extend existing mineral supplies as far as possible through
substitution and conservation.

 Finding Mineral Substitute

The substitution of more abundant materials for scarce minerals
is an important goal of manufacturing. Economics partly drives
the search for substitutes; one effective way to cut production
costs is to substitute an inexpensive or abundant material for an
expensive or scarce one. In recent years, plastics, ceramic
composites, and high-strength glass fibers have been substituted
for scarcer materials in many industries.
Earlier in the 20th century, tin was a critical metal for can making
and packaging; since then, other materials have been substituted
for tin, including plastic, glass and aluminum. The amounts of
lead and steel used in telecommunications cables have
decreased dramatically during the past 35 years, and the amount
of plastics has had a corresponding increase. Besides, glass
fibers have replaced copper wiring in telephone cables.
Although substitution extends mineral supplies, it is not a cure-all
for dwindling resources. Certain minerals have no known
substitutes. For example, platinum catalyzes many chemical
reactions important in the industry. So far, no other substance
has been found with the catalyzing abilities of platinum.

 Mineral Conservation
Conservation, including both reuse and recycling, extends
mineral supplies. The reuse of items such as beverage bottles,
which are collected, washed and refilled, is one way to extend
mineral resources. In recycling, used items such as beverage
cans and scrap iron are collected, remelted, and reprocessed into
new products. In addition to promoting specific conservation
techniques such as reuse and recycling, public awareness and

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 attitudes about resource conservation can be modified to
encourage low waste.
o Reuse. When the same product is used over and over
again, both mineral consumption and pollution are
reduced. The benefits of reuse are greater than those of
recycling. Recycling a glass bottle requires crushing it,
melting the glass, and forming a new bottle. Reusing a
glass bottle simply requires washing it, which typically
expends less energy than recycling.
Several countries have adopted beverage container deposit laws,
which require consumers to pay a deposit for each beverage
bottle or can that they purchase. The deposit is refunded when
the container is returned to the retailer or special redemption
centers. In addition to encouraging reuse and recycling, thereby
reducing mineral resource consumption, beverage container
deposits reduce litter and solid waste.

o Recycling. A large percentage of the products made from

minerals— such as cans, bottles, chemical products,
electronic devices and batteries—are typically discarded
after use. The minerals in some of these products—
batteries and electronic devices, for instance—are difficult
to recycle. Minerals in other products, such as paints
containing lead, zinc, or chromium, are lost through normal
use. However, the technology exists to recycle many other
mineral products.
Recycling has several advantages beyond extending mineral
resources. It saves unspoiled land from the disruption of mining,
reduces the amount of solid waste that must be disposed of, and
decreases energy consumption and pollution. Recycling an
aluminum beverage can saves the energy equivalent of about
180 ml of gasoline. Recycling aluminum reduces the emission of
aluminum fluoride, a toxic air pollutant produced during the
processing of aluminum ore.
The aluminum industry, local governments, and private groups
have established thousands of recycling centers across the
country. It may be that today’s sanitary landfills will become
tomorrow’s mines, as valuable minerals and other materials are
extracted from them.
 Changing Our Mineral Requirements

We can reduce mineral consumption by becoming a low-waste

society. We have developed a “throwaway” mentality wherein
damaged or unneeded articles are discarded. Industries looking

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 for short-term economic profits encourage this attitude, even
though the long term economic and environmental costs of it are
high. We consume fewer resources if products are durable and
repairable.

The throwaway mentality is also evident in manufacturing

industries. Traditionally, industries consume raw materials and
produce goods and a large amount of waste that is simply
discarded. Increasingly, manufacturers are finding that the waste
products from one manufacturing process can become the raw
materials for another industry. By selling these “wastes,”
industries gain additional profits and lessen the amounts of
materials that must be discarded.

The chemical and petrochemical industries were among the first

businesses to minimize wastes by converting them into useful
products. For example, some chemical companies buy aluminum
wastes from other companies and convert the aluminum in the
wastes to aluminum sulfate, a chemical used to treat municipal
water supplies. Such waste minimization is known as sustainable
manufacturing. Sustainable manufacturing requires that
companies provide information about their waste products to
other industries.

 Dematerialization

As products evolve, they tend to become lighter in weight and

often smaller. Washing machines manufactured in the 1960s
were much heavier than comparable machines manufactured
today. The same is true of other household appliances,
automobiles and electronic items. This decrease in the weight of
products over time is known as the dematerialization. Ideally,
dematerialization is beneficial to the environment because it
reduces the quantity of waste during both production and
consumption.

Although dematerialization gives the appearance of reducing the

consumption of minerals and other materials, it sometimes has
the opposite effect. Smaller and lighter products may be of lower
quality. Because repairing broken lightweight items is difficult and
may cost more than the original products, retailers and
manufacturers encourage consumers to replace rather than
repair the items. Although the weight of materials being used to
make each item has decreased, the number of such items being
used in a given period may have increased.

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D. Land Conservation and Management
As the population increased and the amount of available land decreased, it
became necessary to consider land as a limited resource. Increasingly, as
we have come to understand the great value of ecosystem services, the
emphasis has shifted from exploitation to preservation and restoration of
the remaining natural areas.
Conservation strategies that set aside ecosystems are the best way to
preserve an area’s biodiversity (as well as its soil). Government agencies,
private conservation groups, and private citizens have begun to set aside
natural areas for permanent preservation. Such activities ensure that our
children and grandchildren will inherit a world with wild places and other
natural ecosystems.

Land management is the process of managing the use and development (in
both urban and rural settings) of land resources. Land resources are used
for a variety of purposes which may include organic agriculture,
reforestation, water resource management, and eco-tourism projects.

Although agriculture may cause or accelerate soil degradation, good soil

conservation practices promote sustainable soil use. Conservation tillage,
crop rotation, cover crop, contour plowing, strip cropping, terracing,
shelterbelts, and agro forestry help to minimize erosion and mineral
depletion of the soil.
 Conservation Tillage
Conventional methods of tillage, or working the land, include
spring plowing, in which the soil is cut and turns in preparation for
planting seeds, and harrowing, in which the plowed soil is leveled,
seeds are covered, and weeds are removed. Conventional tillage
prepares the land for crops, but in removing all plant cover, it
greatly increases the likelihood of soil erosion. Conventionally
tilled fields contain less organic material and generally hold less
water than undisturbed soil.
An increasing number of farmers have adopted conservation
tillage, which causes little disturbances to the soil. During
planting, special machines cut a narrow furrow in the soil for
seeds. Several types of conservation tillage fit different areas of
the country and different crops. The most extreme of these, no-
tillage, does not involve any tilling (that is, no plowing or disking)
of the soil.

In addition to reducing soil erosion, conservation tillage increases

the organic material in the soil, which, in turn, improves the soil’s
water-holding capacity. Decomposing organic matter releases

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 nutrient minerals more gradually than when conventional tillage
methods are employed. Farmers who adopt no-tillage save on
fuel cost, machinery wear, and tear, and labor time when they do
not plow their land. However, the use of conservation tillage
requires new equipment, new techniques, and greater use of
herbicides to control weeds.
 Crop Rotation
Farmers who practice effective soil conservation measures often
use a combination of conservation tillage and crop rotation. When
the same crop is grown continuously, pests for that crop tend to
accumulate to destructive levels, so crop rotation lessens insect
damage and disease. Many studies have shown that
continuously growing the same crop for many years depletes the
soil of certain essential nutrient minerals faster and makes the
soil more prone to erosion. Crop rotation is therefore effective in
maintaining soil fertility and in reducing soil erosion.
o Contour Plowing, Strip Cropping, and Terracing
Hilly terrain must be cultivated with care because it is more prone
to soil erosion than flat land. Contour plowing, strip cropping,
cover crops, and terracing help control erosion of farmland with
variable topography.
In contour plowing, furrows run around hills rather than in straight
rows. Strip cropping is a special type of contour plowing that
produces alternating strips of different crops. For example,
alternating a row crop such as corn with a closely sown crop such
as wheat reduces soil erosion. Even more effective control of soil
erosion is achieved when strip cropping is done in conjunction
with conservation tillage. Cover crops are grown between
seasons of other crops and help protect the soil during seasons
when it would otherwise be bare of plants.
Farming is undesirable on steep slopes, but if it must be done,
terracing produces level areas and thereby reduces soil erosion.
Nutrient minerals and soil are retained on the horizontal platforms
instead of being washed away. Soils are preserved in a
somewhat similar manner in low-lying areas that are diked to
make rice paddies. The water forms a shallow pool, retaining
sediments and nutrient minerals.
 Preserving Soil Fertility
In sustainable soil management, the use of manufactured
fertilizers is avoided or limited. First, because of their high
solubility, commercial inorganic fertilizers are mobile and often
leach into groundwater or surface runoff, polluting the water.

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 Second, manufactured fertilizers do not improve the water-
holding capacity of the soil as organic fertilizers do. Another
advantage of organic fertilizers is that they change the types of
organisms that live in the soil, sometimes suppressing
microorganisms that cause certain plant diseases. Commercial
inorganic fertilizers are a source of nitrogen-containing gases
(nitrous and nitric oxides) that are air pollutants and greenhouse
gases. Finally, the production of commercial inorganic fertilizers
requires a great deal of energy, which is largely obtained from our
declining reserves of fossil fuels.
 Soil Reclamation
Soil reclamation involves two steps: (1) stabilizing the land to
prevent further erosion and (2) restoring the soil to its former
fertility. To stabilize the land, the bare ground is seeded with
plants that eventually grow to cover the soil, holding it in place.
The plants start to improve the quality of the soil almost
immediately, as dead portions are converted to humus. The
humus holds nutrient minerals in place and releases them a little
at a time; humus also improves the water-holding capacity of the
soil.
One of the best ways to reduce the effects of wind on soil erosion
is to plant shelterbelts to lessen the impact of wind. Restoration
of soil fertility to its original level is a slow process. During soil
recovery, the use of the land must be restricted. Disaster is likely
if the land is put back to agricultural use before the soil has
completely recovered. But the restriction of land use for years is
sometimes difficult to accomplish. Landowners often object to
government dictates about how to manage their lands, and soil
erosion in poorer regions of the world is often driven by farmers
trying to produce enough food to satisfy basic needs.
 Agroforestry
Agroforestry is a land-use practice in which trees and crops are
planted together to improve soil fertility in degraded soils. For
example, nitrogen-fixing acacias and other trees might be
intercropped with traditional crops such as millet and sorghum.
Other crops planted in agro forestry include shade coffee, cocoa,
jatropha (a biofuel crop), and bananas.
The trees grow for many years and provide several environmental
benefits, such as reducing soil erosion, regulating the release of
rainwater into groundwater and surface waters, and providing
habitat for the natural enemies of crop pests. Acacia trees fix
nitrogen, thereby improving soil fertility. When the leaves fall off
the trees, they gradually decompose, returning mineral nutrients

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 to the soil. The leaf layer also improves the soil’s ability to hold
moisture (less moisture evaporates from leaf-covered soil). Over
time, the degraded land slowly improves. The result is higher crop
yields. When the trees are so tall that they shade out the crops,
the forest provides the farmers with food (such as fruits and nuts),
firewood, lumber, and other forestry products.

II. Governance of Natural Resources in the Philippines

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is responsible for
the formulation and implementation of policies, guidelines, and rules related to
environmental management, as well as the management and conservation of the
country’s natural resources. The DENR also implements rules and regulations
governing the exploration, development, extraction, disposition, and use of forests,
minerals, wildlife, and other natural resources.

Although the Philippines was once one of the richest biological regions on Earth,
50 years of severe natural resource degradation have taken a catastrophic toll. As
a result the country now has among the lowest forest cover per capita in the tropics,
and many mangrove and coral reef ecosystems have collapsed.

Over the past decade, the government has tried to reverse these trends,
introducing innovative institutional and legal reforms for sustainable natural
resource management—including a comprehensive decentralization program that
promotes resource management by local governments, indigenous groups, and
resource-dependent communities.

Also, in recent years many donors have supported efforts to improve natural
resource management by building the capacity of the Department of Environment
and Natural Resources (DENR), local governments, nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs), and local communities, and by supporting innovative
partnerships among them.
A. National Government Agencies
The DENR is the primary government agency responsible for
conservation, management, development, and proper use of the
Philippines’s environment and natural resources. But many other
government agencies have mandates and programs that touch on
natural resource issues. All these national agencies share their natural
resource management responsibilities with local government units
under the provisions of the Local Government Code.

 Forest Management Bureau. The FMB of the DENR provides

support for the effective protection, development, occupancy
management, and conservation of forest lands and watersheds.
It collaborates with international and local development

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 organizations in several forestry development programs.

 National Water Resources Board. The NWRB is the government

agency that manages and regulates all water resources and
services in the Philippines. It integrates and coordinates all water-
related activities that have social, environmental, and economic
impacts in the country.

 Mines and Geosciences Bureau. The MGB under the DENR is

responsible for the conservation, management, development,
and proper use of the country’s mineral resources including those
in reservations, watershed areas, and lands of the public domain.
The MGB has direct charge in the administration and disposition
of mineral lands and mineral resources and shall undertake
geological, mining, metallurgical, chemical, and other researches
as well as geological and mineral exploration surveys.
 Land Management Bureau. The Land Management Bureau of the
DENR provides direction through the development of long and
medium-term strategic plans for the land sector and monitoring
and evaluation tools to ensure achievement of goals, formulate
policies for the efficient and effective administration and
management of alienable and disposable public lands and
ensure compliance, and develop land and survey standards and
guidelines and ensure its compliance.
 Indigenous Peoples Rights Act

The Indigenous Peoples Rights Act established a regime to

protect indigenous tenurial claims and other rights, providing
some of the country’s most comprehensive tenurial instruments.
It created the National Commission on Indigenous People to help
such groups obtain titles to and develop plans for the sustainable
development and protection of ancestral domains.

 Community-Based Forest Management Strategy

In 1995 the Philippines adopted a community-based approach as

its official strategy for forest management (through Executive
Order 263, with implementing rules and regulations promulgated
in DENR DAO 96-29). This regulatory framework integrated a
variety of previous initiatives for social and community
management of forests, uplands, and coastal areas and for
recognizing ancestral domains.

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  Fisheries Code

The 1998 Fisheries Code assigned coordination and consultation

functions to the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fishery
and Aquatic Resources and mandated the establishment of local
councils for integrated resource management to foster
cooperation between local government units. Several of the
code’s features are relevant to local governance and resource
management in protected areas. First, it defined municipal waters
and established local governments’ jurisdiction over them.
Second, it assigned enforcement responsibilities to local
governments for wetland and marine resources, including
patrolling the areas and issuing regulatory ordinances. Finally, it
established fish sanctuaries and made local governments
responsible for issuing permits and collecting fees for fishery
activities and for registering municipal fishermen, fishponds, and
fishery industries.

 National Integrated Protected Areas System Act

This 1992 act established the legal basis for developing a national
system of “remarkable areas and biological important public
lands with habitats of rare and endangered species of plants and
animals, bio-geographic zones and related ecosystems, whether
terrestrial, wetland or marine, all of which shall be designated as
‘protected areas. The National Integrated Protected Areas
System (NIPAS) Act governs the national system of protected
areas, which includes 360 sites covering 3.8 million hectares.

B. Local Governments

Local governments have become more important since the Local

Government Code was passed in 1991. The code assigned local
governments various regulatory responsibilities, such as the
reclassification of agricultural lands, enforcement of environmental laws,
an inspection of food products and quarantine, and enforcement of
national building codes.

The Local Government Code extended the definition of municipal waters

and gave city and municipality governments’ considerable authority over
resource access and use in those waters. Devolved functions include
rights to grant fishery licenses and other privileges, enact management
ordinances (including measures such as closed seasons, fish
sanctuaries, and prohibitions on the use of destructive fishing equipment
and methods), and impose penalties for illegal fishing and other
environmentally destructive activities.

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Natural Resource Management Functions under the Local Government
Code of 1991

 National Conservation, management, protection, development,

and proper use of natural resources and promotion of sustainable
development
 Management of: programs, projects, and activities funded by
government agencies and foreign sources and of items under
relevant executive orders and special laws, including the Agrarian
Reform Program
 Local
 Implementation and coordination of DENR policies, regulations,
programs, projects, and activities
 Enforcement of Forestry Laws related to community and social
forestry projects
 Management of communal forests with an area of fewer than
5,000 hectares, provided they are used for community forestry
projects
 Management, protection, and rehabilitation of small watersheds
that supply local water (as identified by the DENR), including
extension and research services related to water and soil use and
conservation projects
 Establishment, protection, and maintenance of tree parks, green
belts, and other tourist attractions in areas delineated by the
DENR (except those covered by the national protected areas
system) and collection of fees for their services and the use of
facilities established in them
 Regulation of flora outside protected areas and implementation
of Rehabilitation in Conservation Hotspots (RICH) and
Conservation of Rare and Endangered Species (CARE) activities
in areas identified by the DENR
 Implementation of land management agreements, cadastral
surveys, lot surveys, and isolated and special surveys
 Enforcement of small-scale mining laws
 Issuance of permits and adjudication of conflicts over fees for
collection of guano and extraction of sand, gravel, and other
quarry resources
 Management of small local hydroelectric projects
 Issuance of environmental compliance certificates for projects
and businesses
 Implementation of solid waste disposal and other environmental
management systems and services
 Adoption of adequate measures to protect the environment and
conserve land, mineral, marine, forest, and other resources in
their jurisdiction

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 NGOs and People’s Organizations

Upon coming to power in 1986, President Corazon Aquino called on the

Philippines to “institutionalize People Power” and “establish institutions
where they do not exist,” setting the stage for a dramatic expansion of
civil society organizations (NGOs and POs) in the country’s political life
and development policy.

As a result of these measures, the Philippines is home to a large and

active community of NGOs and People’s Organizations. Many NGOs
are engaged in field activities (in many cases as implementing agencies
of donor-assisted projects) and advocacy related to natural resource
management. NGOs range from sophisticated national organizations
with numerous field projects to small local organizations focused on one
municipality. Many international environmental NGOs are also active in
the Philippines.

Donors

The Philippines has attracted considerable international financing for

investments in environmental and natural resource management. This
support reflects the country’s strategic location, rich and diverse
ecosystems, and strong government commitment to sustainable
development

Major donors include the Asian Development Bank, Canadian

International Development Agency, Danish International Development
Agency, European Union, and German Agency for Technical
Cooperation, Global Environment Facility, the government of Japan
(through the Japan International Cooperation Agency and Japan Bank
for International Cooperation), U.S. Agency for International
Development, the government of the Netherlands, various UN agencies,
and the World Bank.

Elaborate

Watch the video link and list down the different land resources conservation
management practices. Which of these practices is applied in your community?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc_Atfap-
EA&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR2vPyZXnSw-
YM5sJUT1LJ2rKQCQFOhPYz1tRg8_iMd54CaPHh2QujgQkEQ

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Evaluate

Name: Date:
Program and Section: Score:

Multiple Choice

Direction: Encircle the letter that corresponds to the BEST answer.

1. It refers to the sustainable utilization of major natural resources, such as land,
water, air, minerals, forests, fisheries, and wild flora and fauna.
A. Conservation management B. Resource conservation
C. Biodiversity conservation D. Natural resource management

2. It is the replanting of forests, especially on degraded and abandoned land.

A. Reforestation B. Deforestation
C. Agroforestry D. Forest reserve

3. What do you call the water from showers, bathtubs, sinks, and washing
machines used to water vegetation?
A. Black water B. Gray water C. Refuse water D. Reclaimed water

4. Which approach is used by manufacturing industries to cut production costs

where an inexpensive or abundant material is substituted for an expensive or
scarce one?
A. Recycling B. Reuse C. Substitution D. Dematerialization

5. What is referred to as land use practice in which trees and crops are planted
together to improve soil fertility in degraded soils
A. Agroforestry B. Soil reclamation
C. Contour plowing D. Strip cropping

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References

Agsalud, P.S.L., et al. Environmental Science. #16 Concha St. Tinajeros

Malabon City: Jimczyville Publications, 2013. 50pp.
Bharucha, E. (2003) Textbook for Environmental Studies: For Undergraduate
Courses of all Branches of Higher Education. University Grants
Commission, New Delhi, India. 248pp.
Environmental and Natural Resources Accounting (ENRA) Report No. 2 (1998)
Integrated Environmental Management for Sustainable Development,
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the
National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Manila. 233pp.
Environment and Natural Resources Accounts Division of the Macroeconomic
Accounts Service (2018) Developing the Water Accounts and Material
Flow Accounts of the Philippines: Progress Reports series of 2018, No. 1.
Philippine Statistics Authority, Quezon City. 97pp.
Environment and Natural Resources Accounts Division of the Macroeconomic
Accounts Service (2018) Asset Accounts for Land Cover: Tree-Covered
Area of the Philippines: Progress Reports series of 2018, No. 2. Philippine
Statistics Authority, Quezon City. 58pp.
Guido, R.M., et al. Fundamentals of Environmental Science. 707 Tiaga cor.
Kasipagan Sts. Barangka Drive, Mandaluyong City: Books Atbp.
Publishing Corp, 2015. 109pp.
Internet Sources

USAID Country Profile: Philippines – Land Tenure and Property Rights. 44pp.
https://www.land-links.org/country-profile/philippines/
https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-effects-solutions-depletion-
natural-resources.php
https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-are-natural-resources-definition-lesson-
quiz.html
https://people.eou.edu/socenv/readings/week-1/resource-process/
https://www.denr.gov.ph/
https://forestry.denr.gov.ph/index.php/9-fmb-articles/2-mandate
https://lmb.gov.ph/
https://mgb.gov.ph/

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 http://www.nwrb.gov.ph/
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332143198_Conservation_of_Mineral_
Resources_for_Sustainable_Use
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263178753_Governance_of_Natural_R
esources_in_the_Philippines_Lessons_from_the_Past_Directions_for_the
_Future
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l1gNtrBQMI
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc_Atfap-
EA&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR2vPyZXnSw-
YM5sJUT1LJ2rKQCQFOhPYz1tRg8_iMd54CaPHh2QujgQkEQ

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