Tragedy of the Commons and Land Management Issues

Tragedy of the commons

The idea that individuals acting in their own self-interest can deplete or degrade a shared resource, leading to negative outcomes for the entire group.

Garrett Hardin

Proposed the idea of the tragedy of the commons in 1968.

Commons

Resources that are shared and not privately owned.

Examples of commons

Trees in a national forest, water in a stream running through your property, air, the ocean, and deer in the woods on private property.

Not commons

Trees on your property, fish in the lakes at Cedar Lakes, and an amusement park.

Effective ways to manage a commons

Make it privately owned or implement government regulations.

High percentage of government-owned land in the U.S.

Much of the land was acquired during westward expansion and was never privatized due to its low economic value, environmental sensitivity, or strategic importance.

Location of government-owned land

Most is in the Western U.S., including states like Nevada, Alaska, and Utah, due to harsh climates, rugged terrain, and low population densities.

Agencies managing government-owned land

Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

Largest category of government-owned land in the U.S.

Grazing land.

Purpose of national forests

Created to ensure a sustainable supply of timber, protect watersheds, and conserve wildlife.

Harvesting trees in national forests

Private logging companies harvest the trees under government regulation.

Clear-cutting

Considered harmful because it leads to soil erosion, reduces biodiversity, destroys habitats, and increases carbon emissions due to the loss of trees that absorb CO₂.

Harm of clear-cutting in the tropics

Thin tropical soil loses nutrients quickly without tree cover, leading to desertification and permanent ecosystem damage.

Basic issues with selective cutting

Open to political pressure regarding who is awarded the contracts.

Fire management issue in national forests

Became an issue after 1910 (the big blowout).

Relaxation of total suppression policy

Relaxed in the 1970s.

Allowed fires in national forests

Prescribed burns and natural fires.

Categories of fires

Ground fires (burn underground, slow moving), surface fires (burn leaf litter and low vegetation, beneficial), crown fires (burn tree canopies, spread quickly, highly destructive).

Damaging fires

Crown fires are damaging and always put out.

ground fires

burn underground, slow moving

surface fires

burn leaf litter and low vegetation, beneficial

crown fires

burn tree canopies, spread quickly, highly destructive

benefits of fire

clears dead material, releases nutrients into the soil, prevents larger/destructive fire, encourages growth of fire-adapted plants

main problems in national parks

overcrowding and pollution, loss of biodiversity due to human impact, underfunding and poor maintenance, encroachment and habitat fragmentation

differences in wildlife refuges and wilderness areas

Wildlife refuges allow some human activity (hunting, fishing, resource extraction), while wilderness areas have stricter protections. Wilderness areas are managed to remain pristine, while wildlife refuges focus on conservation and species protection.

five main foci of the green revolution

Mechanization, Monocultures, Synthetic fertilizers, Pesticides, and Genetic modification

ways mechanization damages the environment

Increases fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions; Compacts soil, reducing water infiltration and aeration

how fertilizers damage water bodies

Excess fertilizers run off into water sources, causing eutrophication, algal blooms, and dead zones from oxygen depletion.

how fertilizers influence global climate change

Synthetic fertilizers release nitrous oxide (N₂O), a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.

how GMOs help agriculture

Increase crop yields, Make plants resistant to pests and herbicides, Improve nutritional content

best ecological argument against GMOs

If released into the wild, they become invasive species that outcompete all other species (reducing biodiversity and crowding everything else in an area out)

flood irrigation

Water is spread across fields; inefficient due to evaporation and runoff.

furrow irrigation

Water flows through small channels; better than flood but still wasteful.

spray irrigation

Uses sprinklers; more efficient but expensive.

drip irrigation

Delivers water directly to roots; most efficient but costly.

least damaging irrigation type

Drip irrigation is the least damaging because it reduces water waste and evaporation. It is not used more often due to high installation and maintenance costs.

result of waterlogging

Soil salination is the buildup of salts, caused by evaporation of irrigated water leaving minerals behind.

causes of waterlogging

Root oxygen deprivation, caused by excessive irrigation.

location of the Ogalalla aquifer

It is located under the Great Plains (Nebraska, Kansas, Texas, etc.).

importance of the Ogalalla aquifer to the U.S. economy

It supports agriculture by providing irrigation water for major crop-producing states.

status of the Ogalalla aquifer

It is being depleted faster than it can recharge, threatening future water supplies.

largest aquifer

Ogalalla aquifer.