Unit 4 shifts the focus from physical geography to economic geography; more specifically to a study of how humans interact with land resources (i.e., farming and forestry) and ocean resources (i.e., oil recovery and fishing) to satisfy needs and wants.

Students will also understand that culture and technology shape what is deemed to be a resource and that the use of resources varies from place to place but still reflects spatial patterns.

Unit 4: Primary ResourcesWorld Geo 3200/3202

February 2011

In this lesson you will:

List and describe the three conditions that determine if a natural material is potentially a resource. (k)

Describe how the use of a resource can be influenced by cultural practices. (a)

List specific cases where culture has influenced the use of resources.

Resources: defined as available assets, or sources of wealth, that benefit & fulfill the needs of a community

Natural Resources: natural source material found in the environment

Capital Resources: Money & equipment used to extract natural resources

Human Resources:

Natural resources can be classified into various categories

Inorganic : non-living and unable to regenerate themselves

Organic : living and renewable – they can reproduce or replace themselves provided their reproductive systems are able to function

Classify the following resources as inorganic or organic

Air Forests Minerals Fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) Water Sunlight Soil Wildlife

"Wants" is an economic term used to describe things that people desire but could live without.  For example a car would be a "want".  We can survive with-out it.

"Needs" is a economic term used to describe things that people must have.  They can not survive without them. For example food & shelter are needs.

Some times there is a fuzzy line between wants and needs.  While food is definitely a need, is Caviar a need?

For a naturally occurring material to be considered a resource it must meet all three of the following conditions

Need or Want

Technological Development

Profitability

Need or Want: A culture must have a need or a want for the natural material itself or things requiring the natural material. 

For example people desire gold (a natural resource) itself for its aesthetic value. 

However, people don't desire tungsten but they desire the incandescent lights produced from tungsten.

Technological Development:  A culture must have technological capabilities to extract and develop the natural material. 

For example the oil off the coast of Newfoundland was not a resource until we developed the capability to extract it from the Jean de Arc Basin, prior to that it was a potential resource. 

 Profitability:  A culture must be able to make a profit from the material. 

If the cost of extracting and producing is too high it is not profitable!  If there is no desire for the natural material it will not sell and is not profitable.

As you can see from each of the three conditions previously mentioned, culture is very important in determining if a material becomes a resource. 

In the slides that follow we will examine some local examples to help explain this

Sea Urchins were not traditionally seen as a resource in NL (because we did not eat them or use them for any reason there was no need or want for sea urchins )

In the cultures of South East Asia, however, sea urchins are a desired food source.  (With the opening of world markets, sea urchins became a resource &  Asia had the "want“)

  We have developed the harvesting "technology" because the demand was there. 

It is "profitable" due to inexpensive technology & high demand. 

Consequently all three conditions were met and sea urchins became a resource

Sea weed or Kelp was not traditionally seen as resource in NL (traditional garden fertilizer but there was no real demand)

However, kelp is a highly desired food in southern Asia.

Furthermore, it is used to extract agar and other substances for a variety of products like ice cream and make-up. 

With the variety of demand for kelp some people have begun to harvest it off our shores and others have tried to farm it (aquaculture). 

Once the desire was created, the technology was developed in a way to make it profitable.

Here’s an example at the global level

Due to religious reasons, cows are treated very differently in India than in the Western World.

In India cows are not a food resource whereas here in the western world beef is great resource.

In the two pictures below we can see another difference in resource use. 

Developed nations use much greater amounts of resource than lesser developed nations. 

Using the two pictures, determine what resource(s) the developed nation is using in greater amounts than the lesser developed nation.

Complete the following activities for this lesson

Read p. 132 and copy figure 8.1

What are the Uses of a Forest?

Complete questions 1-4 on p.132 of the text

Read the Case Study "Changing The Use of a Resource" (p. 133-134) and answer question #5 on p.134

For a naturally occurring material to be considered a resource it must meet three conditions.  What are they?

1) Need or Want,

2)Technological Development

3)Profitability

In the case of kelp in Newfoundland, which of the three conditions changed to make it a resource in Newfoundland?

WANT CHANGED, PRIOR TO THE OPENING OF WORLD MARKETS THERE WAS NO DEMAND FOR KELP

In the case of oil off the coast of Newfoundland which of the three conditions changed to make it a resource?

TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT CHANGED TO ALLOW THE EXTRACTION OF THE OIL.