OCR · A-Level · Biology

    Course version: H420 · Version from Sept 2025

    (e) the management of environmental resources and the effects of human…

    Full specification wording

    Populations and sustainability: (e) the management of environmental resources and the effects of human activities.

    This specification point asks you to connect two ideas: how environmental resources are managed, and how human activities affect ecosystems.

    Checked against the OCR H420 specification (opens in a new tab) on .

    • Point 5 of 5
    • 4 key terms

    Study notes

    From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.

    The idea

    This specification point asks you to connect two ideas: how environmental resources are managed, and how human activities affect ecosystems. Environmental resources include the land, water, air, minerals, forests and fisheries that humans use. Management means controlling how these are exploited so that use is sustainable — for example, setting fishing quotas, designating protected areas, rotating timber extraction, or regulating water abstraction. Human activities such as deforestation, overfishing, pollution, urbanisation and intensive agriculture can reduce biodiversity, degrade habitats and deplete resources.

    What earns the marks

    • Recognises that environmental resources include land, water, air, minerals, forests and fisheries used by humans.
    • Identifies management strategies such as quotas, protected areas, rotation of extraction or regulation of abstraction that aim to make use sustainable.
    • Distinguishes sustainable management from unsustainable exploitation in a given scenario.
    • Links a named human activity (for example deforestation, overfishing, pollution, urbanisation or intensive agriculture) to a specific effect on a resource, habitat or population.
    • Recognises that human activities can reduce biodiversity and deplete resources, and that management aims to limit these effects.

    Common mistakes and how to put them right

    • Treating 'management' as simply using a resource.

      Put it right: Management means controlling exploitation so it remains sustainable, not just extracting it.

    • Assuming any human activity is automatically harmful.

      Put it right: The effect depends on the activity and whether it is managed; some activities can be managed sustainably.

    • Confusing a resource with a habitat.

      Put it right: A resource is something humans use (e.g. a fishery), while a habitat is where organisms live; the two can overlap but are not identical.

    Exam tips

    • Read the stem carefully to see whether it asks about management, about effects, or about both, and eliminate options that answer the wrong clause.
    • Match the named human activity in the option to a plausible, specific effect rather than accepting a vague 'damages the environment'.
    • Reject options that describe exploitation without any control when the question asks about management.

    Try the lesson

    The start of the Populations and sustainability: (e) the management of environmental resources and the effects of human activities. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.

    Have a go first

    Which human activity most directly reduces the amount of habitat available for wild populations when it converts land to built-up areas?

    Listen

    This specification point asks you to connect two ideas: how environmental resources are managed, and how human activities affect ecosystems. Environmental resources include the land, water, air, minerals, forests and fisheries that humans use. Management means controlling how these are exploited so that use is sustainable — for example, setting fishing quotas, designating protected areas, rotating timber extraction, or regulating water abstraction. Human activities such as deforestation, overfishing, pollution, urbanisation and intensive agriculture can reduce biodiversity, degrade habitats and deplete resources. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Recognises that environmental resources include land, water, air, minerals, forests and fisheries used by humans. Identifies management strategies such as quotas, protected areas, rotation of extraction or regulation of abstraction that aim to make use sustainable. Distinguishes sustainable management from unsustainable exploitation in a given scenario. Links a named human activity (for example deforestation, overfishing, pollution, urbanisation or intensive agriculture) to a specific effect on a resource, habitat or population. A common slip: Treating 'management' as simply using a resource. Instead, management means controlling exploitation so it remains sustainable, not just extracting it. Exam tip: Read the stem carefully to see whether it asks about management, about effects, or about both, and eliminate options that answer the wrong clause.

    See it

    A top-down flowchart. At the top, a node lists environmental resources: land, water, air, minerals, forests and fisheries. An arrow leads to a node describing management as controlling exploitation. From this, four arrows lead to separate nodes: fishing quotas, protected areas, rotation of timber extraction, and regulation of water abstraction. Each of these four nodes has an arrow leading to a single node labelled sustainable use. Separately, a node listing human activities (deforestation, overfishing, pollution, urbanisation and intensive agriculture) has an arrow to a node describing reduced biodiversity, degraded habitats and depleted resources. Both the sustainable use node and this effects node have arrows leading to a final node labelled limits these effects.
    Shows how environmental resources can be managed sustainably through controls such as quotas and protected areas, and how human activities affect resources and habitats, with management aiming to limit those effects.

    Key words

    Say what each word means before you turn the card.

    Sustainable use of environmental resources

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    Management strategies such as quotas and protected areas

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    Effects of human activities on ecosystems

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    Link between resource use and biodiversity

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    See every definition
    Sustainable use of environmental resources
    Controlling how environmental resources are exploited so that use is sustainable, for example by setting fishing quotas or designating protected areas.
    Management strategies such as quotas and protected areas
    Strategies such as quotas, protected areas, rotation of extraction or regulation of abstraction that aim to make use sustainable.
    Effects of human activities on ecosystems
    Activities such as deforestation, overfishing, pollution, urbanisation and intensive agriculture can reduce biodiversity, degrade habitats and deplete resources.
    Link between resource use and biodiversity
    Human activities can reduce biodiversity and deplete resources, and management aims to limit these effects.

    Label the diagram

    Some boxes have lost their names. Pick the right name for each number.

    The diagram again, with 3 boxes numbered instead of named. A top-down flowchart. At the top, a node lists environmental resources: land, water, air, minerals, forests and fisheries. An arrow leads to a node describing management as controlling exploitation. From this, four arrows lead to separate nodes: fishing quotas, protected areas, rotation of timber extraction, and regulation of water abstraction. Each of these four nodes has an arrow leading to a single node labelled sustainable use. Separately, a node listing human activities (deforestation, overfishing, pollution, urbanisation and intensive agriculture) has an arrow to a node describing reduced biodiversity, degraded habitats and depleted resources. Both the sustainable use node and this effects node have arrows leading to a final node labelled limits these effects.

    • 1Box 1

    • 2Box 2

    • 3Box 3

    0 of 3 labelled

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