Resource extraction is the process of identifying, accessing, and withdrawing naturally occurring materials from the Earth's crust and surface. As a multidisciplinary academic concept and field of research, it investigates the technological processes, economic drivers, socio-political implications, environmental impacts, and governance frameworks associated with obtaining geological, mineral, energy, and biological resources. Its significance lies in analyzing resource availability, supply chains, geopolitical dynamics, environmental sustainability, and the complex interactions shaping development trajectories and human-environment relations on local to global scales.