Abstract
As a result of the rapidly growing population in the last century, the pressure of people on natural resources has considerably increased. Excessive and wrong use of natural resources leads to occurrence of various human-induced disasters. Global warming, deforestation, floods, air pollution, loss of biological diversity are some of such threats that can be treated within the framework of emergency management. Minimization of human-induced disasters and prevention of such disasters can only be achieved by means of efficient and sustainable management of natural resources. In this chapter, the emphasis will be put on the definition of natural resource management that plans the sustainability of economic activities governing the relationship between humans and the use of nature, such as land use plan, water management, biological diversity and agriculture, mining, tourism, fishing, and forestry, and its importance within the context of emergency management will be discussed.
TopBackground
There are many studies conducted within the context of natural resources management and emergency management. When some studies on the topic of natural resource management are examined, it is seen that they have focused on the different aspects of the issue; for example, Behnken (2007) conducted a thesis study to investigate the effect of the management decisions made for the Cache River natural resources area on the use of resources by community and long-term management plans. Mountjoy (2014) evaluated the effect of the community-based natural resources management in Illinois on the success of ecosystem management. He worked with 10 different indicators to monitor the changes seen in the ecological unity as a result of the community-based natural resources management. Sanderson (2004) aimed to develop a management plan integrating community and ecological initiatives to ensure the sustainability of the coastal resources in the Olango Island. Jampolsky (2014) wrote in his thesis against the dominant framework by examining Ute Mountain Ute resource management, through the development of the federally funded Integrated Resources Management Plan and Cultural Resources Management Plan, as a proxy for understanding Native property as an enmeshment of law, space, and power. Berg (2015) investigated the effect of two management plans adopting a cooperative approach in the ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve on natural resources. In the thesis study conducted by Sehlke (2016), the main focus is on the benefits of the integrated water resources management to the management of water resources in America. In this thesis, the basic principles of integrated water resources management and water and water-related regulations in America are addressed. In his thesis, Peters (2016), answered these problems: How ecological theory can inform management strategies for achieving specific conservation objectives? How information used to inform natural resource management decisions can be generated through partnerships between volunteers and small conservation organizations? How scientific information is communicated to and shared among natural resource managers in Federal Land Management agencies?
Key Terms in this Chapter
Protected Areas: Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international organisations involved.
Emergency Management: Emergency management is the organization and management of resources and responsibilities for dealing with all humanitarian aspects of emergencies—preparedness, response, and recovery—in order to reduce the harmful effects of disasters.
IUCN: The international union for conservation of nature (IUCN) is a membership union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private, and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together.
Natural Resources: Natural resources are resources that exist without actions of humankind. This includes all valued characteristics such as magnetic, gravitational, and electrical properties and forces. On earth it includes: sunlight, atmosphere, water, land (includes all minerals) along with all vegetation and animal life that naturally subsists upon or within the heretofore identified characteristics and substances.
Stakeholders: An accountant, group, organization, member, or system that affects or can be affected by an organization's actions.
Natural Resources Management: Natural resource management refers to the management of natural resources such as land, water, soil, plants and animals, with a particular focus on how management affects the quality of life for both present and future generations.