What is the primary aim of sustainable resource management?

Concept

Sustainable resource management uses natural resources at a rate and in a manner that preserves their availability and ecological functions over time. Its governing principle is intergenerational equity: meeting present needs without reducing the ability of future generations to meet theirs.

Application

Balancing present and future needs directly applies intergenerational equity. It allows current use while protecting the resource base and environmental quality needed later.

Contrast

• Centralising water ownership and distribution is a governance arrangement, not the overarching objective of sustainable resource use.

• Expanding urban sanitation systems is a sector-specific intervention rather than the general aim of managing all resources sustainably.

• Over-extracting groundwater depletes a resource faster than it can recover and therefore undermines long-term availability.

Result

Therefore, the main aim is balancing present and future needs.