Overexploitation

This chapter explores overexploitation, also called overharvesting, which refers to the harvesting of a renewable resource faster than it can be produced. The term applies to resources like populations of wild plants and animals, whole ecosystems, and resources that are required to sustain life. While short-term overexploitation often can be corrected, persistent overexploitation can lead to the destruction of the resource. The chapter begins with a brief overview of the history of overexploitation by humans, before reviewing the human psychology of overexploitation, pointing out the wide variety of reasons people use wild populations of plants and animals to excess. This is followed by a summary of the major types of overexploitation on both target and non-target species in a variety of habitats, including commercial exploitation, subsistence overexploitation, and recreational overexploitation. Finally, the chapter discusses theories and models for the sustainable harvest of natural resources.