Page:Niger Delta Ecosystems- the ERA Handbook, 1998.djvu/116

The Resources of the Niger Delta 11 THE RESOURCES OF THE NIGER DELTA
 * Renewable and Non-Renewable Resources
 * Land
 * Water
 * Fish

11.1 RENEWABLE AND NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES

The resources of the Niger Delta are all those things that people want to take in order to survive and/or in order to make money. They are described as being Renewable or Non-Renewable.

Renewable resources are the products of non-geological, short-term resource cycles as described in the previous chapter, such as fish, fertile soil and timber. They are renewable because they are continually available if the ecosystems that produce them remain viable, and because they can be reproduced by mankind (for instance trees can be planted for timber).

Non-renewable resources are the products of much longer resource cycles. In other words, in any time less than geological time, they can be used once only. Examples are salt and oil. A number of resources, while not being strictly renewable, are reusable. For instance rocks can be used for buildings again and again. Also modern human technology has extended the "renewability" of non-renewable resources. For instance, sump-oil can be refined, and waste paper can be pulped in order to make new paper.

Contrary to the popular view, most renewable resources are less easy to manage than non-renewable resources. This is because renewable resources are only potentially renewable and are dependant upon healthy ecosystems: Modern Society seems unwilling (because of short-term economic laws) or unable (because of ignorance) to manage ecosystems in a way that ensures the sustainable production of resources. This is a worldwide problem, so that, for instance, fish stocks in Europe's North Sea are declining just as fast as are the fish stocks in the Bight of Guinea because of bad management.

On the other hand, while non-renewable resources may be finite, they can be used up according to a plan and need not just disappear as a result of ignorant management.

The essence of good resource management depends upon two management attitudes which government policy needs to take into account:


 * renewable resources need to be managed sustainably so that the ecosystems which supply them continue to be viable; and
 * non-renewable resources have to be extracted in a manner that does not damage ecosystems irreparably.

A discussion of the resources of the Niger Delta contains too much information for one chapter and thus it has been broken down as follows: 114