Increasing human activity, particularly in established economies, has created a severe strain on the natural environment resulting in the over use of, and damage to, renewable resources and the rapid consumption of finite resources. Such demands are now considered by many to be non-sustainable. Many problems of natural resource management relate to the limitations of institutional structures in developing strategic programmes which consider human social, cultural and economic needs allied to sustainable use and protection of natural resources.

This pathway builds on the resource appraisal modules to explore the development of natural resource management plans and the strategic management linking biodiversity management at the local level to biodiversity action plans at regional, national and international levels is considered.

On this pathway, you will study the following focus module and any two others (in addition to the five core modules) and carry out a research investigation within this theme: 

Natural Resource Management

This module builds on the core modules of Physical and Biological Resource Appraisal to evaluate the strategic approaches for the management of natural resources, including action plans for biodiversity and key natural resources such as soil, water and land. The module reviews resource management from international conventions and their implementation, through national strategies, to the development of strategic action plans for natural resource utilisation and protection at regional, local and individual business levels.