ABSTRACT
Land and water resources are the principal physical capital items that constitute the geoenvironment. Their quality and health are vital issues because they provide the habitat and also the basis for life support systems for plants, animals, and humans. These are natural resources that are basically renewable resources. In the absence of human-created stressors generating negative impacts, the various resource elements have the ability to maintain their natural quality through natural processes or through replenishment. These resource elements have the ability to flourish and grow and are integral parts of the overall environment. We consider a significant part of
sustainability of the geoenvironment
to include sustainability of land and water resources. Sustainability is obtained when all the resource elements of the various land and water ecosystems are renewed, replenished, recharged, and restocked — to a level that will continue to meet the needs of those that depend on these resources. This will only occur when the health and quality of the land and water resources are protected, maintained, and allowed to flourish. Failure to do so will lead to a degradation of the quality of these two major capital resources, and in turn will imperil and diminish the capability of these resources to allow the elements and habitants of the multitude of land and water ecosystems to renew and replenish themselves.
