The concept of "natural resources", in the same way as the idea of "nature" is difficult to be thought in the social investigation, probably because its own etymology supposes some essential or unchangeable characteristic. But "natural resources" are not objectively defined, but they are related to specific social needs. So, historically and nowadays resources have been under dispute among social actors unequally positioned. In these arguments, the very notion of "natural resources" itself has been changing its meaning. In this paper "Natural Resources" and "Renewable and Non renewable" classification are reviewed through the analysis of two specific ethnographic cases in Argentina, as a way of making visible what is hidden when a scientific concept, in this case a concept from the economics, takes part in the common-sense.
Case study; Renewable natural resources; Non-renewable natural resources; Conceptual revision