CAPE Environmental Science Unit 1 · 2017 · Paper 2 · Question 6(a)

A small country, A, consists of 450 km² of uninhabited moist tropical forests. This area is home to endemic bird species. It is also the home of 2 amphibians, 2 reptiles and 65 plants which are found only in the area. It is an area with high ecotourism value; however, it is at risk from bauxite mining. Unfortunately for the birds, the landscape, and many communities, the country is pushing hard to extract every bit of bauxite from the soil, to export for aluminium production. Tourism now generates 45 per cent of the country's foreign earnings and provides jobs for approximately a quarter of the working population. Mining employs fewer persons and is not sustainable.

Use examples from the description of Country A to distinguish between consumptive and nonconsumptive uses of natural resources.