Man's Use and Management of Natural Resources: Development, Problems and Results of an International Programme

Abstract

In the development of our biosphere, the most successful species have been those which could take advantage of a given set of resources. From the microscale of bacteria and viruses to the global scale of migratory vertebrates, this effective control of a resource base has been an essential prerequisite to further development. Within the limits of prevailing ecological conditions, each species seems to develop a strategy for resource use that maximizes its number. On the other hand, the long-term survival of a species depends on its ability to adapt to new conditions and to adjust to variations in the quality and quantity of basic resources. The development of human civilization can also be seen as a series of such innovative 'challenges and responses' (Toynbee, 1934-39). After the long period of transition from hunting-gathering to improved use of land resources (e.g. arable farming, irrigation, etc.) or the exploitation of mineral resources for energy and industrial development, humankind seems now to be reaching the 'outer limits' of its present environmental possibilities. The new situation is mainly attributed to the fact that the biosphere is increasingly influenced by the global implications of a man-made 'socioand techno-sphere'. At this rate of change Darwinian ideas of human evolution as expressed by differential reproductive success are superseded, to be replaced by a variety of systems covering ethical and moral responsibilities. There has come into being a conflict between short-term (high numbers) and long-term (controlled growth) strategies of survival. In the present stage of the history of Man, food and energy are two of the main limiting factors. With our given technical capabilities we have to think of the stabilization of population growth and resource use until we either develop completely new lifestyles and systems of social organization, or until additional technological advances temporarily push back this outer limit.