natural resource

plural natural resources

1. Any source of wealth that occurs naturally, especially surface water, groundwater, minerals, fossil fuels, timber, wild game, soil quality, and air quality.

   There’s so much Trump in Joe: the overbearing and vainglorious rhetoric, the hogging of all natural resources, the willingness to treat people like property, the disappointing offspring.

   2017 December 1, Tom Breihan, “Mad Max: Fury Road might already be the best action movie ever made”, in The Onion AV Club

   1 more example

   Africa’s growing demand for wood products presents an opportunity to build a resilient bioeconomy that creates jobs, strengthens local industries and reduces pressure on natural forests. Wood remains one of Africa’s most vital natural resources, supporting livelihoods, economic development and industrial growth across the continent. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020, more than 600 million Africans depend on forests and trees for their livelihoods, relying on wood value chains for employment, energy, construction materials and income generation. The sector supports industries such as furniture manufacturing, paper production, packaging, electricity transmission, housing and construction. In rural Africa, wood and tree-based systems also provide fuel and income, forming a cornerstone of household survival. As population growth and urbanization accelerate, demand for wood products is rising sharply, creating both opportunities and challenges for sustainable development. Harnessing this potential could position the wood sector as a driver of economic transformation and green growth. At the centre of this opportunity is the idea of a resilient wood-based bioeconomy, an approach that sustainably uses renewable biological resources like wood and forest products to produce materials, energy and services while safeguarding ecosystem health.

   2026 June 12, Jane Mutune, Peter Minang, “Building a resilient wood-based bioeconomy in Africa”, in Forest News