Natural Resources

Natural resources refer to objects, relationships, or capacities of value that exist in a form or environment that originated without human intervention. Businesses typically consume or otherwise rely on natural resources in the production of finished goods and/or services and generally drive innovation in natural resource discovery, usage, and consumption. The value of natural resources to businesses and society in general derives from different modes of usage: direct consumption, indirect servicing, and/or enjoyment through nonuse. Traditional direct use or consumption of natural resources is evident in activities such as mining, forestry, and commercial fishing. An example of indirect use, when natural resources provide a beneficial service, is flood mitigation by wetlands and fisheries production provided by free-flowing rivers. As many indirect-use services are enjoyed without ...