Describe sustainable resources and resource management
A sustainable resource is replenished as rapidly as it is removed; forests and fish stocks can be managed to avoid running out.
Core and Extended; Biology 0610, 2026–2028. Use the stated specimen features and evidence. Diagrams are schematic. Written practice is self-checked
Before you begin
- Know that organisms interact with other organisms and their environment.
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
What makes a resource sustainable in the syllabus definition?
What you will learn
- Define a sustainable resource using its rate of renewal and removal
- State that forests and fish stocks can be conserved and managed sustainably
Match renewal to removal
A sustainable resource is produced as rapidly as it is removed from the environment, so it does not run out. The comparison is about rates over time: if removal persistently exceeds replenishment, the stock falls.
Forests and fish stocks are examples of resources that can be conserved and managed sustainably. Management can limit removal, protect breeding or growing populations, and support replenishment. A resource is not sustainable merely because it is natural or renewable in principle.
Use a rate comparison
Compare the resource added or grown during a time interval with the resource removed over the same interval. If 120 fish are added to a managed stock in a season and 100 are removed, the stock can increase under those simplified conditions. If 150 are removed, it declines.
Real ecosystems involve more conditions than this simple arithmetic, including recruitment, habitat, disease and environmental variation. State what the supplied data support and identify the interval.
Pause and explain
Which two resources are named for sustainable management in this section?
Worked example
A managed fish stock gains an estimated 600 fish in a year and 550 are caught. What does this comparison suggest?
Show the worked solution
- Use the same one-year interval.
- Compare additions and removals.
Answer The estimated stock gains exceed removals by 50 fish during that year, suggesting the stock could be maintained under these simplified estimates.
Try a topic test
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Test this topic →From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
Define a sustainable resource.
Give me a hint
Include both production and removal rates.
Compare my reasoning
- The resource is produced or replenished.
- Its production rate keeps pace with its removal rate.
A sustainable resource is produced as rapidly as it is removed from the environment, so that it does not run out.
Look for these in your work
- Production rate included
- Removal rate included
A forest grows 9 000 trees in a year and 8 200 are harvested. What does the simplified comparison suggest?
Give me a hint
Compare the two annual quantities.
Compare my reasoning
- 9 000 − 8 200 = 800.
- Production exceeds removal in this estimate.
The estimated growth exceeds harvesting by 800 trees in the year, suggesting the forest stock could be maintained under these simplified conditions.
Look for these in your work
- Difference correct
- Inference qualified
Why must fish-stock renewal and catches be compared over the same interval?
Give me a hint
Rates and totals depend on the time period.
Compare my reasoning
- Annual renewal should be compared with annual catches.
- Different intervals can make totals misleading.
Using the same time interval makes renewal and removal comparable. Comparing an annual renewal estimate with a monthly catch total would give a misleading balance.
Look for these in your work
- Common time interval stated
- Reason explained
Common mistakes
- Calling any renewable resource automatically sustainable
- Comparing rates measured over different time intervals
- Ignoring that real stock estimates have uncertainty
What can you explain now?
What makes a resource sustainable in the syllabus definition?
Compare with the explanation
It is produced as rapidly as it is removed
The renewal rate keeps pace with removal.
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Make it stick
Define a sustainable resource and name the two resource groups specified in the syllabus.
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.