Population Resource Relationship

Population Resource Relationship

1. Problems of pop growth

   • Space/land constraints
   • Food & Resource provisions

2. Carrying capacity of land

   • max number of ppl that a given environment with a given resource base can support without affecting pop's SOL
   • Indicators
     • Pop size
     • Availability of resources
     • Level of technology
     • State of economic development
   • Pop growth & CC of land
     • Primitive
       • resource exploitation meant for bare survival
     • Advanced
       • Socio-Econ devt leads to higher levels of resource exploitation, increasing CC

3. Optimum Population

   • refers to the most ideal condition where there is max no of ppl, who max the utilisation of all availables resourcesusing existing techonology, achieving greatest output per capita and producing highest possible SOL
   • OP changes overtime with economic growth and technological devt
   • Indicators
     • Highest SOL and GNP/capita
     • Full emp leve;
     • Long LE and high calorie intake
     • Low net migration
     • Well dev infrastruture and social services
     • High pop density

4. Theories

   • Hedonist (optimistic)
     • Boserups' theory- Ester Boserup
   • Conservationists (pessimistic)
     • Malthusian- Thomos malthus
     • Limits to growth theory- Meadows & club
     • IPAT - paul ehrilics (environmentalist)

5. Under population

   • Existing tech & resources has the potential to support a larger pop without towering theSOL
   • Example
     • Australia
     • New Zealand

6. Over population

   • refers to the state whereby the CC of the land is exceeded, no longer able to support any increase in its pop growth given existing resources and tech.
     • results when an area's pop exceeds its phy, social and econ resources
   • Causes
     • pop growth > econ devt
     • Exhaustion of non-renewable resources
     • abuse of non-renewable natural resources
     • decline in demand for labour
   • Examples
     • Bangladesh
     • Hong Kong
   • Consequences
     • Lower SOL
     • Increase in migration
     • social discontent
     • environmental degredation