Natural Resource Management

Natural resource management encompasses the integrated stewardship of land, water, forests, fisheries and mineral resources to meet human needs while safeguarding ecological integrity. It addresses the balance between resource extraction and conservation, recognising limits to growth, intergenerational equity and the interconnectedness of ecosystem functions. Key challenges include climate change, biodiversity loss, water scarcity and land degradation, all driven by population growth, economic development and changing consumption patterns. Effective management relies on interdisciplinary approaches that combine ecological science, economics and social governance, emphasising adaptive strategies, stakeholder participation and landscape-scale planning. From community forestry and watershed rehabilitation to wildlife conservation and sustainable agriculture, practitioners seek resilient systems that deliver food, fibre, clean water and cultural benefits without depleting natural capital.

Research from Nature Portfolio

A 2024 study of traditional clam gardens and contemporary shellfish farms along the northeast Pacific Coast reveals how rock-walled terraces and sediment modifications enhance epifaunal diversity and invertebrate abundance, underlining the value of Indigenous mariculture in boosting coastal biodiversity and habitat complexity. In 2023, modelling of Himalayan musk deer habitat projected that 85–89 per cent of current suitable sites will remain viable under multiple climate scenarios, with future refugia emerging beyond existing reserves and informing protected-area planning and anti-poaching measures. Satellite-based mapping in 2022 combined Sentinel-1 and -2 data with Random Forest classifiers to distinguish native physiognomies in the Brazilian Cerrado at 20 m resolution, producing detailed landcover maps vital for monitoring biome dynamics and guiding restoration of a globally significant savannah ecosystem.

Research from all publishers

A 2023 analysis in Science of Remote Sensing used Generalised Additive Models to detect nonlinear deforestation patterns in Brazil’s Maranhão region, linking precipitation variability to clearing rates and highlighting the need to align environmental enforcement with climate forecasts. In Ecological Economics, a 2022 review of post-growth alternatives for sand extractivism argues that reducing per-capita consumption, reviving vernacular architectures, and limiting mega-structures can curb aggregate demand and mitigate widespread ecological and social harms. Research in The Extractive Industries and Society (2023) conceptualises the “sandscape” of the Red and Mekong Rivers, showing how sand dredging, damming and urbanisation reshape riparian communities’ livelihoods and ecosystems, and calling for multi-stakeholder governance models that integrate local voices, formal regulation and benefit-sharing.

Natural Resource Management publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in natural resource management across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Natural resource management: Coordinated stewardship and use of natural assets to meet human needs while maintaining ecological function.

Ecosystem services: Benefits humans derive from ecosystems, including provisioning, regulating, supporting and cultural functions.

Sustainability: Development that satisfies present requirements without compromising future generations’ ability to meet theirs.

Governance: The systems of rules, practices and processes guiding resource decision-making among stakeholders.

Resilience: The capacity of a system to absorb disturbance and reorganise while undergoing change to retain key functions.

References

1. Ancestral and contemporary intertidal mariculture practices support marine biodiversity in the northeast Pacific. Communications Earth & Environment (2024).
2. A brighter shade of future climate on Himalayan musk deer Moschus leucogaster. Scientific Reports (2023).
3. Mapping native and non-native vegetation in the Brazilian Cerrado using freely available satellite products. Scientific Reports (2022).
4. Modelling non-linear deforestation trends for an ecological tension zone in Brazil. Science of Remote Sensing (2023).
5. Sand futures: Post-growth alternatives for mineral aggregate consumption and distribution in the global south. Ecological Economics (2022).
6. (In)visible fluidities across sandscapes: Sand dredging and local socio-environmental impacts along the Red and Mekong Rivers. The Extractive Industries and Society (2023).