concept, but also the routes of trade: for imported goods, the region
of the virtual water and its regional water balance would have to be
taken into account. Virtual water embedded in exported goods is
included in the WSF model, as it has to be part of the regional water
supply e.g. as industrial water. To make this share explicit in the
WSF matrix would be possible; we do not consider it to be of major
interest for regional water supply planning because this information
offers few strategic choices other than to cut back export oriented
industrial production which is unlikely to sit well with
regional economic policies.