Resource+utility5

Resource utility is the way a resource is used and the amount that is consumed. Resources can be used in various ways that each contribute to its depletion or sustainment. Resource utility is an intricate part of resource management as it allows people to gauge whether a resource’s extraction should be monitored or regulated. The amount a resource is used usually relates to the abundance of the resource, its current desirability, and its market value.

In the case of polar bears as a resource there are many forms of utility, both sustainable and unsustainable. Polar bears have been used by Inuit people for countless generations; their meat as food, fat as fuel, bones as tools and crafts, and their skins and furs as garments. Until modern methods were introduced, the techniques used to hunt polar bears were underdeveloped and yielded relatively small harvests. Combined with an exclusive and small Inuit population, this created a sustainable level of resource utility of polar bears. Now polar bears are used in many more ways. They have been hunted for their furs by European settlers in North America as well as by the Russians. In China, bear’s gall bladder is a traditional form of medicating poor eyesight and gall stones. They are also a target for trophy hunters. Although strict regulations are currently in place, sport hunting is still legal in Canada. Combined with Inuit hunting, modern techniques and a questionable quota, these methods of utility are potentially unsustainable.



A sustainable form for the resource utility of polar bears is eco-tourism. Although only availed to a niche market of hikers, environmentalists and photographers, polar bear tours provide a profitable use for polar bears that doesn’t jeopardize their sustainability. The image of polar bears is also used by Canada as a national icon, and in marketing campaigns, most notably Coca-Cola.

[|Polar Bears as a Resource]