Sustainable use of natural resources: A conceptual approach to sustainable management of natural resources in the context of development

Since the publication of the Brundtland Report in 1987 and the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, sustainable development has become a widely used slogan. But it is still far from clear just what sustainable development is and how it can be achieved. What, then, is meant by sustainable use of natural resources? And what exactly are natural resources? This report presents a conceptual approach to a central aspect of sustainable development: sustainable use of natural resources. It is addressed primarily to specialists at Swiss Development Cooperation, but also to other people concerned with development questions or specific issues related to sustainable resource use. The conceptual approach is intended as a general guideline. It is not a blueprint for concrete planning, execution and evaluation of projects. Rather, its purpose is to stimulate and enhance public discussion about questions of resource use. It is elaborated in the three main parts of the report: The first part defines natural resources as components of nature that are of use to human beings. Resource use always reflects a particular social situation, and it changes in relation to space and time. No universal conclusions can be drawn about sustainable resource use. Each society must decide for itself what constitutes sustainable use of natural resources, because sustainability is primarily a question of evaluation. The second part is concerned with the central features of this evaluation and with the process of public discourse. Included are discussions of internal and external participation, the institutionalization of public discourse, and empowerment of disadvantaged social groups. Development organizations take part in public discussions about resource use and have a dual role to play: they advance their own aims and ideas while also supporting the process of public debate over sustainability. The third part of the report deals with other key aspects of sustainable resource use. It addresses the participation of women as an essential prerequisite of sustainability; the question of long-term access to resources as an important  criterion for distinguishing between normal use and overexploitation; multifunctionality; and biodiversity as a significant indicator of sustainable systems of resource use.