overextraction

/ˌoʊvərɪkˈstrækʃən/
noun
  1. The act of removing too much of a resource, such as water, oil, or minerals, from the ground or a source, often causing environmental damage.
    • Farmers are worried that overextraction of river water will harm local ecosystems.
    • The government imposed limits to prevent overextraction of fossil fuels from the protected area.
    • Overextraction of groundwater has caused wells in the region to run dry.
Antonyms