What distinguishes natural resources from other kinds of materials we use to sustain our quality of life?

• A. They are always renewable
• B. They require no management
• C. They are only found in forests
• D. They are naturally occurring and not created by human effort

Answer: (D)

Natural resources are things in the environment that people use for life and work, and what sets them apart is that they exist in nature and are not created by human effort. This means they can be used directly or with little processing, but they originate without human fabrication. Some are renewable, like sunlight, wind, and timber, while others are nonrenewable, like minerals and fossil fuels, yet all come from the natural world rather than being manufactured. Manufactured or synthetic materials, even though they may rely on natural substances, are produced through human processing, so they aren’t natural resources.