Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, New Series, Year XIII, no. 1, p. 59–68, 2016 Marioara RUSU*, Violeta SIMIONESCU** * Institute of Agricultural Economics, Romanian Academy, Bucharest ** Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University Ovidius Constanţa mara.r@xnet.ro NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION: A THEORETICAL APPROACH ABSTRACT The economic activities have contributed to the gradual diminution of natural resources over time and have had a significant impact upon the environment. The paper attempts to provide the interested persons with a theoretical-methodological framework referring to the economy of natural resources and environment protection, while focusing on the agricultural sector. Key words: natural resources, environment protection, ecological footprint. JEL Classification: Q01, Q50. 1. INTRODUCTION The economic activities have determined the gradual diminution of the natural resources reserves in time and have had a significant impact upon the environment. The diminution of the area covered by forests, the diminution of fish populations, the diminution and even disappearance of certain animal species, the progressive diminution of fossil fuel reserves, water pollution and ozone layer diminution are some of the great problems that humankind is facing. The experts warn on an impending ecological disaster in the conditions in which the consumption of natural resources exceeds the carrying capacity of the Earth by almost one-third (WWF, 2007). Thus, it has been estimated that more than three- quarters of the world population is living in countries with ecological deficit, where consumption exceeds by far the biocapacity. Thus, there are worries about the underestimation of the ecological problems, in favour of those problems of strict economic nature (WWF, 2008). As a consequence, the entire society is threatened by the collapse of the ecological capital, as a result of the neglect of natural values, which in reality represent the core element of life and prosperity.