Unveiling Our Shared Prosperity Discover the Wealth of Our Natural Resources
The natural resources of our planet are not only vital to our survival but are also the foundation of our economies and societies. The Bahamas, like many other nations, is blessed with a rich and diverse array of natural resources that provide countless benefits to its citizens.
However, these resources are often exploited and mismanaged, resulting in environmental degradation, social injustices, and economic inequality.We are a country made up of more than 700 islands and 2,300 cays, and the untold and hidden story is that we can boast of a wide range of natural resources. Our commonwealth is far more than, “sun, sand and sea.” From its vast ocean corridors and diverse marine life, to its lush forests and valuable mineral deposits, The Bahamas is rich in natural resources that can support its economy and people.
Different Types of Natural Resources
Renewable resources are available in large quantities and non-renewable are limited in abundance.
Natural Resources
Natural Resources are any biological, mineral, or aesthetic asset given by nature without human intervention that can be used for some form of benefit, whether material (economic) or immaterial.
Renewable & Non-Renewable Resources
Based on the availability are two types of natural resources:
Products Made from Natural Resources
People use an abundance of resources to survive in a continually developing world.
What are some of The Bahamas Natural Resources?
Aragonite
Limestone
Salt
Sand
Sun
Pineforest
Ocean
The People
Land
Challenges of Using Natural Resources
Extracting, processing and using natural resources can cause environmental problems such as: air, land and water pollution disruption or destruction of ecosystems a decrease in biodiversity.
Extracting and using natural resources – along with other human activities – may decrease biodiversity.
Diminishing the Earth’s biodiversity has substantial human costs because wild species and natural ecosystems are important resources.
Economists estimate that the lost pharmaceutical value from plant species extinctions in the United States is about $12 billion.
We have no knowledge of what we have lost in pharmaceutical value from the many species destroyed in The Bahamas based on our very own Indigenous Medicine Practices.