Environment & governance
Natural Resource Management (NRM)
Definition
Natural resource management is the practice of sustainably using and protecting natural resources such as land, water, air, minerals, forests, fish and wildlife, balancing ecological, social and economic factors to maintain ecosystem productivity while meeting human needs. It is an interdisciplinary field spanning ecology, economics, social science and policy, applied through conservation, restoration, regulation, monitoring and community engagement.
References
Overview
What it means
NRM operationalises sustainability at the resource level: harvest rates, access rights, protected areas, and use conflicts are its everyday substance — from community forestry to fishery quotas to water allocation.
How it is used
Governments, NGOs and communities apply NRM through resource management plans, co-management arrangements and landscape approaches; it underpins programmes from watershed management to sustainable fisheries.
Why it matters
Most sustainability outcomes are ultimately decided in how specific resources are managed day to day; NRM is where principle meets practice.