A growing number of people realize that the way we use natural resources has to change. It is important to keep in mind that the actions of one area of the world have an impact on another. As we saw with the tanneries in Bangladesh, simple decisions (such as what product to buy) can have large impacts in distant parts of the world.

UNDERSTANDING MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVESAs you learn more about natural resources and sustainability in this unit, you will encounter many different perspectives. Aboriginal peoples, environmental groups, governments, and companies all have different perspectives on how we should use and preserve natural resources.

Seven Generations is a teaching that many Aboriginal peoples use to guide decisions. It involves considering how a decision will affect the present generation, their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and so on for seven generations. This perspective recognizes connections among people, lands, resources, health, families, communities, and nations. The International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers (Figure 5.17) is a group of women from all over the world. Their mission is to help preserve Earth now and for the next seven generations to come.

Here are some other approaches for thinking about natural resources:• A conservation approach means using resources wisely in order to

continue using them for a long time.• A frontier approach is one that views the

natural world as existing for human use. In other words, it is all about what people want and need.

• A preservation approach says that resources should be preserved, set aside, and protected.

HOW ARE WE

ADDRESSING OUR USE OF NATURAL RESOURCES?

FIGURE 5.17 Members of the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers take part in a prayer ceremony.

I wonder what life will be like seven generations from now if we do not change how we use natural resources?

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FIGURE 5.18 Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock

Learning about places around the world is what

geographers do. But geography is more than just

knowing where places are located. Geographers

study a wide range of issues facing people and the

planet today. For example, geographers examine

the perspectives of different groups to see how

the natural environment is used and how it should

be used to meet everyone’s needs. This is called a

geographic perspective.

UNDERSTANDING PERSPECTIVEUsing maps, images, and statistics to learn more

about a specific place is the first step in taking a

geographic perspective. It is important to know

both absolute location (where something is) and

relative location (where something is in relation to

where you are).

The next step in taking a geographic perspective

is understanding that people will have different

points of view regarding a specific problem in their

community. These various perspectives are based

on the beliefs and value systems of the people and

groups involved. Geographers need to listen to

what people say about a specific problem and to

the beliefs and values each person expresses.

FOCUS ON

GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVEUNDERSTANDING ULURUUnderstanding geographic perspectives is also

important to the future of one of Australia’s most

iconic landmarks. Uluru (Figure 5.18), also known as

Ayers Rock, lies west of the Simpson Desert, near

the centre of Australia. It is considered a sacred

place by the indigenous Anangu people.

In 1870, European explorers took over the land

and turned the site into a tourist attraction. The

land was returned to the Anangu in 1985.

The area is still a tourist destination. Tourists

climb the 348-metre-high rock as part of the

experience. But this damages the site, as does the

waste and graffiti left behind. The Anangu respect

the spiritual significance of Uluru and discourage

people from climbing on it. The government is

considering banning climbing on Uluru, but there

are many different perspectives to consider.

TRY ITLet’s take a closer look at Uluru.

1. Locate the following on a world map: Australia,

Uluru, Canada, your province, and your

community. Compare the locations in relation

to each other. What are some geographic

characteristics that are similar to those

of Uluru?

2. List any prior knowledge that you have about

the geographic characteristics of Australia and

Uluru. What else would you like to know?

3. Summarize the issue. Who are the different

people or groups involved, and what are their

perspectives on the issue? What are the beliefs

and values associated with each perspective?

What else do you need to know?

4. Taking all the perspectives into account,

suggest some ways to solve the problem.

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RESPONDING TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGESPeople respond in various ways to the environmental challenges related to our use of natural resources. Sometimes we respond as individuals. We might decide to take transit rather than drive a car or to buy products without a lot of packaging. We may also choose not to buy or use products from a company that we feel causes a lot of pollution.

We can respond to challenges as a larger group, as well. Organizations such as the Rainforest Alliance and the Nature Conservancy work to protect natural resources. They do this by educating people and raising awareness of issues. Different levels of government also make laws and regulations that can help to preserve natural resources or address challenges related to our use of natural resources.

For example, municipal governments in many large cities, such as Toronto and Chicago, now require that all new buildings of a certain size be built with green roofs (Figure 5.19). Green roofs create more green spaces in urban areas. They can be places for residents to garden and grow their own food. They also help to cool buildings, reducing the energy used to air condition buildings in the warmer months. In addition, green roofs benefit local water sources by reducing the amount of water that runs off into storm drains. Why are green roofs especially

important in a city?

FIGURE 5.19 An example of a green roof in Chicago, United States

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HEROES IN ACTION

A CALL TO ACTION 1. Why did Adeline Tiffanie Suwana take

action? What was her perspective on

the problems facing her hometown?

2. Suwana’s action was inspired by

her own natural environment and

threats to it. What issues arising

in your natural environment could

inspire action for you and people in

your community?

Indonesia is a nation of islands with many

natural resources and a fast-growing but

poor population. Adeline Tiffanie Suwana

loves her home’s natural environment,

which has countless birds, trees, flowers,

and beaches, and much natural beauty.

As a young girl, she started to see how

her home was changing. Trees were being

cut down, more housing was built for

the growing population, and storms and

flooding were causing

severe damage. When

she was 11, her village

was evacuated due to a

severe flood.

After the evacuation of

her village, Suwana learned

about the connection

between extreme weather and global

warming. She wanted to do something

to make a difference. Suwana saw that

many of her friends and neighbours

were not aware that they could help the

environment and preserve their land.

She started an environmental education

and action organization called Sahabat

Alam—Friends of Nature. Sahabat Alam

helps young people learn more about the

natural world, and it has been involved in

many activities to protect the environment

in Indonesia.

Some of their projects include replanting

mangrove swamps (Figure 5.20).

Mangroves are trees and small shrubs that

grow along the coastline. Mangroves help

to protect shorelines and habitat for sea

mammals, fish, and birds. They also offer a

defence against flooding, hurricanes, and

tsunamis. Suwana and Sahabat Alam also

work to protect coral reefs by planting

coral in damaged reefs. Suwana organizes

ecotours so that visitors

can learn about the

Indonesian environment.

Suwana has won many

international awards

from the United Nations,

including the International

Diana Award in 2013. The

Diana Award is presented to inspirational

or socially active young people who

have made a positive difference to the

lives of others and to their communities.

Suwana has represented Indonesia as a

youth delegate to official United Nations

conferences, environmental summits,

and youth gatherings. In 2011, at a UN

conference held in Indonesia, she said,

“As children, we can plant trees [and]

clean rivers and beaches, but we cannot

stop industries from polluting our rivers;

we cannot force them to adopt a green

economy. We want policies and laws that

will make industries sustainable.”

ADELINE TIFFANIE SUWANA: SAHABAT ALAM

FIGURE 5.20 School children planting mangrove trees in Jakarta, Indonesia

“WE WANT POLICIES AND LAWS THAT WILL MAKE

INDUSTRIES SUSTAINABLE.”

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ACTIONS TO CONSERVE NATURAL RESOURCESIt is important to look for ways to reduce consumption of natural resources. As you learned on page 154, Canada consumes more natural resources per person than most other countries. How can we reduce our energy needs?

Companies have started making energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs. These improvements can reduce the energy we use to refrigerate food, wash clothes, and light our homes. This benefits people by saving them money. It also reduces the amount of natural resources we use to meet our needs.

We can also look to other natural resources to help us meet our energy needs. Countries all over the world, are looking for ways to use flow resources to generate electricity. Flow resources include the wind, the Sun, and the tides. (You will learn more about flow resources in Chapter 7.)

CREATING NATIONAL PARKS AND HERITAGE SITESAnother way to conserve our natural resources is by protecting important areas of land and water. This helps preserve and conserve land and regulate who can access the land.

The first national parks were created in response to the misuse of land. Indigenous peoples have a long history of sustainable living and responsible use of natural resources. When Europeans colonized many countries around the world, they brought huge changes to the land. They cut down trees for shipbuilding, harvested spices, extracted minerals, and trapped animals for the fur trade.

Some people recognized that the land needed to be protected and conserved for the future. This led to the creation of the U.S. National Park System in the late nineteenth century in the United States. The first national park, in Montana, is called Yellowstone. Canada created its first national park a few years later in 1885: Banff National Park.

PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENTLands are protected around the world by national governments and local organizations. At the global level, the United Nations has developed a list of significant natural and cultural places known as World Heritage sites (Figure 5.21). There are 193 Natural World Heritage sites. These places are considered to be important to everyone on Earth.

A

How might protected parks be

viewed as both positive and negative uses of

the land?

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CHECK-IN

1. EVALUATE AND DRAW CONCLUSIONS How might the

Seven Generations teaching be useful to you

when making decisions related to sustainability?

2. INTERPRET AND ANALYZE Research what your

community can do to protect and conserve

natural resources. Analyze your research and

choose one action that would most benefit the

community. Explain how this action would benefit

the community.

3. COMMUNICATE With a partner, create a slideshow

profiling a national park or a natural World

Heritage site. Include the location, a brief history,

the reason it is protected, and the benefits of

protecting it.

4. GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE Describe how a

natural resource might be viewed from two

different perspectives.

Natural heritage sites are protected because they meet at least one of the following criteria:• they are areas of exceptional natural beauty• they represent a major stage of Earth’s history• they are an example of important ecosystems and communities of plants

and animals• they contain significant natural habitats of plants and animals

I wonder why it is important to protect certain sites?

FIGURE 5.21 (A) Cape Floral Region Protected Area, South Africa; (B) Juizhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area, China; (C) Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina

B C

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