Territorial functioning, at the most basic level, involves a segmentation of space; locations are differentiated into those “belonging to” or used by one person or group, or another. As part of this allocation process boundaries are created or maintained. They are selectively permeable: Certain people at certain times, or for certain purposes, are allowed to enter one spatial segment from another, or to cross the boundary. The boundary may be clear-cut or fuzzy, agreed upon or disputed, acknowledged by others or ignored, and consistent or variable. Nonetheless, this process of spatial differentiation is fundamental to territorial functioning.

Focus of the chapter

This chapter considers issues of resource conservation from a territorial perspective.

How is resource conservation related to territorial functioning? Many natural resources are distributed spatially;that is, they are more plentiful in some places than in others. Oysters, growing on oyster beds, are an excellent case in point. Lobsters and crabs, although they migrate, are more plentiful in some locations than others. Wood is a resource clearly fixed in place. Energy resources such as oil and coal, although their refinement and distribution are often centralized, are more plentiful in some parts of a country than others. So, since territorial functioning involves the segmentation of space, and many resources are distributed unevenly in space, at certain levels differentiation into territories has implications for resource allocation, and, more importantly, resource conservation.