Problems faced during exploitation of natural resources

Mining without capital. A Korokoza descends into a mine. Image credit mg.co.za

• Resources exploitation is not easy and there are many difficulties that are faced which can be grouped into physical factors and human factors.
• The following are physical and human factors that may cause problems of resources exploitation.

Physical environmental factors

• Rugged terrain with steep slopes makes setting up of transport networks expensive and difficult.
• Hot wet areas have a high incidence of diseases.
• Swampy areas make resources exploitation difficult because the swamps have to be drained. The ground in such areas can also be unstable.
• Geological occurrence of mineral resources can be a problem. Minerals occurring in folded and faulted structure are expensive and difficult to extract.
• Where mineral ores occurs below the water table, a lot of money is spent on pumping the water.

Human factors include:

• Shortage of capital and fluctuating demand.
• Outdated technology.
• Political instability/internal civil strife.
• Shortage of skilled labour.
• Pressure from environmental groups
• The perception of what constitutes a resources.

To access more topics go to the O Level Geography Notes page