The Renewable natural resources Are elements that are in the natural environment, available for use and that have the capacity to renew themselves over a relatively short period of time.
The natural environment is everything around us that has not been created by man, such as trees, fields, wind, water, sun, earth, rocks, animals, and so on.
From a broad point of view, virtually all natural resources are renewable, since all have the intrinsic capacity to renew themselves.
However, there are certain resources such as Petroleum , Which have a renewal rate many times lower than their utilization rate, that is why the classification we give to renewable resources (RN) normally depends on their renewal rate.
In this way, we can consider an RN as renewable, if it has the capacity to regenerate in a short period of time, after we have exploited it, so that we can continue using it indefinitely in time.
Below we will give an overview of 30 renewable resources and their main uses. They are classified into 4 categories: forest products, animal products, inorganic products, and clean energy sources.
What are renewable natural resources?
Renewable Forest Resources
1- Wood
Wood is a renewable resource that is used for a multitude of things given that it is a very versatile product; We can find it in constructions, in furniture for the home, shelves, beams, fences, crafts, bridges, etc.
When a tree is cut to use its wood or products, the forest has the capacity to regenerate itself (Resilience). However, in some countries, a problem caused by intensive timber production is beginning to emerge, since over the years, there has been an increase in the use of this resource, which causes alterations in the ecosystem. (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Consumption and Production of Wood Products in the United States, 1965-1997 (billions of cubic meters), (Howard, 1999).
2- Fruits
The fruits that are most commonly used are citrus fruits such as orange and mandarin, avocado, apple, bananas, among others. These are grown in orchards where thousands of individuals of the same species are normally planted.
Since it is a food product, the production of fruits is a very profitable activity. However, the large tracts of land needed for this often put native ecosystems at risk.
Cereals are part of our food; Maize, sorghum, wheat, rice, soybeans and oats are the main cereals grown in the world. They are produced in large quantities and are mainly used as food for people and livestock.
Crops such as corn have also been used to produce substitute oil or biodiesel. According to some authors it is used as an alternative of viable oil since it is renewable, biodegradable, non-toxic and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics (Demirbas, 2009).
However, care must be taken in assuming that this is a viable alternative since most biodiesel production processes imply high social and environmental costs due to the increase in the land use necessary for its production (Serna, 2011).
4- The palm
The Palm ( Elaeis guineensis ) Is grown to obtain its oil; With it cosmetics, cleaning and food products are made.
Because of its large-scale exploitation, oil palm has displaced large areas of forests in Southeast Asia, causing impacts such as pollution, habitat fragmentation, and increased greenhouse gas emissions that originate from Of the increase in demand for vegetable oils like this (Fitzherbert, 2008).
5- The eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is used for the production of pulp. It is a fast-growing tree, much like oil palm and most large-scale crops.
The problem is the same; Is based on land use, since intensive production causes damage to natural ecosystems by fragmenting the habitat and displacing native species.
6- Fungi
The mushrooms are used In the elaboration of beverages, foods and medicines, to the use of some species in techniques of bio-remediation of floors.
7- Vegetables
Vegetables are a resource that man uses for consumption and has been responsible for preserving over many generations.
8- Wild and ornamental plants
All plants have a potential use; Our ancestors knew many properties of local plants, and transmitted it to subsequent generations.
This knowledge made man take care of them and will preserve many species. Currently plants are used as food, medicine and even decoration in parks parks and gardens.
An example is the good night that is marketed in winter time on the occasion of Christmas or Taxus Spp To which a compound of its fruit (taxol) that is used in treatments to fight cancer is extracted (Keith et al., 1990).
9- The soil
Soil is one of the most important renewable resources. It encompasses a large number of both organic and inorganic components, as they inhabit an infinite number of species of insects, fungi, bacteria, lichens, plants and animals that together maintain an internal balance that allow life to flourish on a large scale.
10- Groundwater
Many people around the world depend on groundwater for their daily consumption. It is a resource that is regenerated through the infiltration and percolation occurring in the soil after the rains.
However, groundwater in addition to being used for human consumption is also used in the agricultural industry and in other industries such as automotive or shale gas extraction. In some cities the use of this resource has exceeded its rate of regeneration, which has caused severe crises and shortages (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Lower groundwater level for the Castilla-La Mancha plain from the 1970s. (Martínez Cortina, L. et al., 2011)
10- Rivers
Rivers are a source of food, water and are sometimes used as a means of transportation between various communities. Currently, in addition to these uses, many rivers are exploited for industrial or agroindustrial uses.
11- Springs
They are natural water sources, which because of their potability, some bottled water companies exploit for sale and consumption.
12- Landscapes
Our natural landscapes have a great aesthetic value, in addition to the potential to generate income in areas of ecotourism and recreation. Landscape maintenance provides invaluable ecological services that contribute to the maintenance and preservation of life on the planet.
13- Seas and oceans
The oceans comprise two-thirds of the Earth's surface and they generate much of the oxygen we breathe.
In addition to housing fish that serve as food, they provide a means of transport in which endless commercial and tourist activities.
14- Charcoal
Unlike charcoal, which is considered a non-renewable RN, charcoal is produced from logs or branches of hardwood trees. It is not necessary to cut a tree to produce coal, it is enough only to cut some branches.
Coal is used as fuel and among its advantages are its great capacity to generate heat.
Animal Products
15- Pets
Domestic animals coexist with man thousands of years ago. Throughout that time they have served him mainly as food, transport and company.
For these reasons, man has taken care of and maintains the populations of these species. At present, livestock farming is still a mechanism by which man obtains much of his food.
16- Wild birds
An example of using this resource is falconry, an activity by which birds of prey are trained to use them to hunt small mammals such as rodents or rabbits.
17- Wild Mammals
The hunt may be subsistence or sport.
The sport hunt is part of the tourism industry in a country: it consists of hunting animals inside areas where it regulates the populations of species that will be allowed to hunt.
18- Fish
Fish have been the staple food in many cultures. The use of fish farms has been increasing due to the increasing demand of food by the population, causing in some cases severe damages to the ecosystem such as the deterioration of mangroves and the aquatic pollution caused by the industrial shrimp farming (Fonseca , 2010).
19- Reptiles
Reptiles are used in some cultures as food. In addition to culinary uses we can find medicinal uses; An example is the venom of the snake Agkistrodon contortrix Which is used in cancer treatment (Parrish, 2000).
20- Spiders
Spiders are used as part of biological control of pests in certain crops, because they act as natural predators of many insects.
21- Insects
Insects are used in many cultures as an edible resource. Maguey worm, escamoles, honey ants or chapulines are examples of edible insects in Mexico. In addition many other insect species are used as pest control in crops or fruit trees.
22- Amphibians
This group of vertebrates is often used as food in different regions of the world. It is in Mexico where species are consumed Lithobates montezumae, L. megapoda , (Báez et al., 2012).
Amphibians are also used as biological control mechanisms; An example is the frog Bufo marinus Which has been used in the control of beetle pests in sugarcane crops in the Dominican Republic (Figueroa, 2001).
Inorganic Renewable Resources
23- Nitrogen
Nitrogen is present in decaying organic matter or black soil. It is said that when a land is dark in color it has very good fertility.
Previously with traditional agriculture the nitrogen cycle was not affected, because the nitrogen was renewed by the decomposition of new organic matter in the cultivated soils.
However, currently intensive use of activities such as agriculture, livestock and logging severely damages the soil causing drought conditions, erosion and loss of fertility. This is because eliminating the plants, the soil or not letting it recover, is rapidly losing its production capacity.
24- Match
Phosphorus is a very important element that gives fertility to soils. It is present in the cells of all living organisms and is found mainly in rocks, which through natural erosion processes release it to reach the soil where it can be assimilated by plants.
Among its uses are the manufacture of matches and as a component of most agricultural fertilizers.
25- Air
Air is a vital element for life on the planet.
It is mainly composed of 78% nitrogen and 20.9% oxygen (Brimblecombe, 1995). It is currently beginning to be used to move turbines that from alternators that produce electricity in a pollution-free way (wind energy).
26- Hydrogen
It is the simplest element of the periodic table. Its use as a fuel is still under development and has great potential as a substitute for oil-based energy sources.
Hydrogen has many potential applications, including use as vehicle fuels, domestic heating and airplanes. (Bak et al., 2002).
27- Geothermal energy
Geothermal energy is obtained from the use of heat from the earth. It is possible to use this internal heat to obtain hot water, in addition it is used to climatize houses or buildings
28- Solar energy
The sun is the main source of energy of the planet; Provides heat, and is necessary for plants to do photosynthesis.
Currently we take advantage of a small part of all the energy that comes to the earth in the form of light, for this we use solar panels that through a chemical reaction transform light into electrical energy
29- Hydroelectric power
Hydroelectric plants transform the force of the water flow into electrical energy. The principle is the same as that of wind turbines, but in this case the water flow is the one that moves the turbines to produce electricity.
30- Tides
Recently, tidal power has been used to produce clean energy. It is also known by the name of tidal.
The process is similar to that of hydroelectric plants, because by means of an alternator the energy of the waves is transformed into electrical energy.
CONCLUSIONS
In conclusion, many of the resources now considered renewable are being used at rates higher than their regeneration.
Man should not only focus on preserving one or two resources, but on maintaining the balance of his environment, and as long as we remain in a system of development and progressive growth, many of the renewable resources that we know will become limited resources and Will be exhausted.
References
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