Mineral resources need to be conserved because they require a lot of time to be formed, and at the current rate of consumption, they will be exhausted soon.
Mineral resources are the fundamental material support for socio-economic development.
The four ways to conserve mineral sources are:
Constant technological improvements are required to enable the utilisation of low-grade ores at low costs.
Strict rules are to be established by regulatory agencies to ensure ethical resource mining.
Recycling of the minerals.
Using alternative sources through research, such as using scrap metals and other substitutes.