BIOL 3130 Lecture : Conservation Biology - 11. Overexploitation
23 Mar 2012
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Problem: if there are only so many resources . Common: a piece of land owned by one person, but over which other people can exercise certain traditional rights, such as allowing their livestock to graze upon it. Multiple individuals acting independently in their own self-interest ultimately destroy a shared limited resource even where it is clear that it is not in anyone"s long term interest for this to happen. It is in each herder"s interest to put as many cows as possible onto the land, even if the commons is damaged as a result. The herder receives all of the benefits from the additional cows, while the damage to the commons is shared by the entire group. If all herders make this individually rational decision, however, the commons is destroyed and all herders suffer. The bottom line is, land users cannot be relied upon to make rationale decisions, even if it"s in their own best interest .
