Cambridge O Level Pakistan Studies: Natural Resources – An Issue of Sustainability (2059)

This guide covers Natural Resources – An Issue of Sustainability, the second of eight sections in Paper 2 The Environment of Pakistan, Cambridge O Level Pakistan Studies (2059), 2026 series. It follows on directly from Marlbridge’s existing guide to Section 1 (The Land of Pakistan), and shares an identical eight-section structure and content with sibling Cambridge IGCSE Pakistan Studies (0448), independently confirmed against 2059’s own official syllabus PDF for this guide.

Where this fits in 2059

Pakistan Studies 2059 splits into two compulsory papers: Paper 1, The History and Culture of Pakistan, and Paper 2, The Environment of Pakistan. Paper 2 is assessed through three questions (25 marks each) from a choice of five, each requiring the interpretation and analysis of resources — diagrams, graphs, maps, photographs and written material — with part (d) of every question specifically testing analysis skills. Section 2 builds directly on the map and topography knowledge from Section 1: understanding where Pakistan’s mountains, rivers and plains are located is assumed knowledge for explaining how its natural resources are distributed and exploited.

Syllabus coverage

CAMBRIDGE O LEVEL PAKISTAN STUDIES 2059 — PAPER 2, SECTION 2: NATURAL RESOURCES – AN ISSUE OF SUSTAINABILITY

• 2(a) Water — identifying the Mangla, Tarbela and Warsak dams and two example barrages on a map; the importance of water as a resource for agricultural, industrial and domestic use, including how supplies are obtained, maintained and controlled; the reasons for and consequences of the Indus Water Treaty; the causes of and solutions to water supply problems (including pollution); water’s value as a development resource; how water supply issues can lead to conflict
• 2(b) Forests — the different types of forest and their main locations; the physical and human factors controlling forest distribution; the reasons for plantation development in the Indus Plain and afforestation on mountain slopes and plateaux; forests’ value as a development resource and the importance of sustainability; the effects of deforestation (soil erosion, silting, flooding) and possible solutions
• 2(c) Mineral resources — the main locations of limestone, gypsum and rock salt extraction; the main metallic and non-metallic mineral resources, their extracted quantities and reserves; the extent to which they can be exploited; environmental problems caused by mineral extraction; the benefits and sustainability of developing mineral resources; the main imported minerals and their sources and quantities
• 2(d) Fish — fishing methods in marine and inland waters, including fish farms; examples of fish caught in marine and inland waters and reared on fish farms; the fishing ports of the Balochistan and Sindh coasts; the uses of the fish caught; improvements in fishing methods and processing; the problems facing the fishing industry and the possibilities for its further development and sustainability

Water (2a): the most exam-heavy sub-section

Water combines map-identification skills (locating the three named dams and identifying barrages) with genuinely evaluative content — the Indus Water Treaty is the single most exam-significant item in this sub-section, since it requires candidates to explain both why the treaty exists and what consequences have followed from it, not just state that it exists. Practise a balanced answer structure for water supply problems: name a specific cause (for example, industrial pollution or over-extraction), pair it with a specific solution, and be ready to explain how water issues can create conflict between regions or user groups competing for the same supply.

Forests (2b)

The plantation-versus-afforestation distinction is the detail most often blurred by candidates: plantations in the Indus Plain are new forest planted specifically for commercial or resource use, while afforestation on mountain slopes and plateaux is typically aimed at preventing soil erosion and managing water flow. Both physical factors (climate, terrain) and human factors (deforestation for agriculture or fuel) should be paired when explaining forest distribution, since “explain” questions here consistently expect both sides of the explanation rather than one alone.

Mineral resources (2c)

This sub-section rewards precision with numbers and locations over general description — know specifically where limestone, gypsum and rock salt are extracted, and be able to distinguish Pakistan’s metallic from non-metallic mineral resources. The “evaluate the benefits… and understand the sustainability of extraction” bullet is where analysis-focused marks are won: pair a named benefit (for example, export revenue or industrial input) with a named environmental cost, rather than listing benefits alone.

Fish (2d)

The marine-versus-inland distinction runs through this entire sub-section: marine fishing draws on the Balochistan and Sindh coasts, while inland fishing includes rivers, lakes and fish farms. Improvements in fishing methods and processing techniques should be learned as a pair with the sustainability challenges the industry faces — the syllabus explicitly links “improvements” with “problems facing the fishing industry,” so an answer describing improvements without also addressing ongoing sustainability problems is incomplete.

Common mistakes

• Treating the Indus Water Treaty as a fact to state rather than an issue to explain, including its reasons and consequences.
• Confusing plantations with afforestation — one is Indus Plain commercial planting, the other is mountain/plateau erosion prevention.
• Giving generic “pollution is bad” answers on mineral extraction instead of naming specific environmental problems tied to specific resources.
• Discussing fishing methods without addressing sustainability, when the syllabus explicitly pairs the two.

How to approach it

Build a single resource-by-resource table across all four sub-sections — water, forests, minerals, fish — with columns for location, use, and sustainability issue, since Paper 2 exam questions frequently ask candidates to evaluate the sustainability of a named resource specifically. Revisit Section 1’s map work (dams, rivers, coastal regions) alongside this section, since almost every Section 2 sub-topic asks candidates to locate a feature before analysing it.

Related resources

• Cambridge O Level Pakistan Studies: The Land of Pakistan
• Cambridge IGCSE Pakistan Studies: Natural Resources – An Issue of Sustainability (0448)

Official syllabus

Cambridge Assessment International Education, Cambridge O Level Pakistan Studies 2059 syllabus for examination in 2026: https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/Images/697282-2026-syllabus.pdf (verified 2026-09-02).