Available stock of mineral resources allows the future needs in potassium and table salt, lime and cement feedstock, refractory and ceramic clays, construction sand, sand-gravel material, and facing stone to be fully met.

It should be noted that up to date the depths of Belarus are not sufficiently explored. The changed economic situation and emergence of more advanced technologies necessitate reassessment of mineral resources deposits and reserves of the republic, more efficient utilization of all components of extracted ores.

The farmland accounts for 44% of the republic’ area, while arable land — 27.3%. In Belarus, the per capita agricultural land amounts to 0.9 ha and arable land — 0.6 ha.

Flora. Natural vegetation covers nearly 70% of the area of Belarus. It includes nearly 12 thousand of plant species, of them, about 2.1 thousand higher (spermaphyte) and over 9 thousand inferior (weeds, moss, lichen) plants. At the national level, over 200 plant species included into the Red Book of the Republic of Belarus are under protection.

Fauna. 457 species of vertebrates (including 73 mammal species, 290 bird species, about 60 fish species) and over 20 thousand species of invertebrates number in Belarus. 22 mammal species, 31 bird species and 1 reptile species are game species. Such game species as a fox, a marten, a hare, an otter, a polecat, an ermine and also an elk and a wild boar are commercially valuable. 97 vertebrate species and 85 invertebrate species are included into the Red Book of the Republic of Belarus.

Forest Resources. Forests cover 38% of the republic’s area. The per capita forested area is 0.8 ha and timber resources — 135 m³ that is almost 2 times the average European level. Mainly valuable tree species grow in Belarus. The forest potential is rather high — the annual timber resources increment rate reaches 35 million m³. Forested areas and standing timber stock, including mature stands, are increasing. The forest is not only the source of timber, but it also performs multiple environmental functions (bank protection, water conservation, soil protection, assimilation, etc.), as well as sanitary and rehabilitation, recreation and rehabilitation functions. Belarusian forests play an important biosphere role and formidably contribute to ecological stabilization in the East and Central Europe.

The Belarusian forests store significant natural resources of food, melliferous, medicinal, technical and other economically valuable plants. Mainly blueberry, cranberry, cowberry, bog-berry, bilberry, rowanberry, high cranberry and wild pear are harvested.

Water Resources. Belarus has over 20 thousand rivers and creeks totaling 91 thousand km in length and about 11 thousand lakes, 470 of them exceed an area over 0.5 km² each. Water bodies cover 2% of the republic’s area. The largest lake in Belarus is the Naroch Lake (79.6 km², maximum depth about 25 m). Over half of Belarusian water resources (56%) account for the Black Sea basin, the remaining fraction for the Baltic Sea basin. The rivers of Prypyat, Dnieper, Neman, Berezina and Western Dvina and also the Dnieper-Bug Canal are most critical for navigation. 145 water storage reservoirs were built in Belarus. Of critical importance is the Vileiskoe storage water reservoir (75 km²). The Vileisko-Minsk water system, through which water of the Viliya River is supplied to the Belarusian capital Minsk, originates from it.

Renewable resources of fresh surface waters and groundwater available in the country are sufficient to meet current and expected requirements in water: river water resources amount to 57.9 km³/year. The total water volume accumulated in lakes is estimated at 6-7 km³ and the storage volume of water storage reservoirs is estimated at 3.1 km³. The public water supply abstraction is less than 5-7% on the average of annually renewable water resources.

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