How does conserving resources protect the health of the environment?
1 Answer
There are many benefits .... Three principles of Pinchot.
Explanation:
According to Pinchot (Ortolano, 1997), the "first principle of conservation is development, the use of natural resources now existing on this continent for the benefit of the people who live here now." The second "conservation stands for the prevention of waste." Finally, "The natural resources must be developed and preserved for the benefit of the many, and not merely for the profit of a few."
I would like to emphasize the last principle since today there are many projects all around the world that not preserve natural resources. Suppose there is a proposed gold mine on a forested, water-rich area. People live in peace and they harvest timber, produce honey, raise animals, etc. Now, they have their own economic activities and forest as well as other environmental resources are there.
Suppose mining company started its operations. They cut down all tress, built roads, provided some jobs to local residents (for 5 years or 10 years) but now local residents loss their income. They have two options: to stay there search for alternative jobs or to move to other places. If they stay there, they are likely to become sick due to dust, soil and water pollution. If they move to cities, they will search for jobs and they will stay as unemployed.
After 5 or 10 years of operation, this company will left the area without any restoration, etc. If the employed people do not want to move to other area (if the mining company proposes jobs to them), they will be unemployed in their area because they cannot produce honey, do farming, etc.
Reference: Ortolano, L. (1997). Environmental Regulation and Impact Assessment. John Wiley and Sons, Inc. New York, NY, USA.
