Question

Explain the difference between consumptive and non-consumptive use, and give examples where uses have have both consumptive and non-consumptive features.

(The topic is "Water footprint" and the subject is Natural Resource Economics)

Answer 1

Water

Consumptive water use is the water use that does not return water to its source, but instead leads to water being lost to evaporation, transported to another area, or contamination.

A water use is considered non-consumptive when the water remains in or is immediately returned to the location in a stream or aquifer from which it was extracted.

Water use can be consumptive or non-consumptive, depending on whether the water is lost to the ecosystem.

Non-consumptive water use includes water that can be recycled and reused. For example, the water that goes down the drain and enters the sewer system is purified and then redistributed for reuse. By recycling water, the overall water consumption is reduced.Non-consumptive water use also includes water that is used for recreation, such as whitewater rafting on these rapids.

Consumptive water use takes the water out of the ecosystem.A large amount of the water that comes out of these sprinklers is consumptive because it is lost to evaporation and runoff.

Wildlife

Consumptive uses are generally considered to be those in which wildlife are killed, and may use wildlife as a food source or personal use.

Humans over many centuries depend on wildlife for: food, shelter, and space suitably arranged for survival. Direct killing is just one factor of that affects wildlife mortality. An issue of wildlife consumption is the habitat and how people affect its quality and availability for wildlife.

Non- consumptive use generally are considered to be those in which any wildlife is watched, studied, or recorded without being killed.

Non- consumptive uses may actually be damaging to wildlife and its habitats, such as the too- close observation of wildlife during breeding season and species may be negatively affected.