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PDF
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Type:
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Journal Article |
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Author:
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Moritz, Mark; Scholte, Paul; Hamilton, Ian M.; Kari, Saïdou |
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Journal:
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Human Ecology |
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Volume:
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41 |
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Page(s):
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351-365 |
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Date:
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2013 |
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URI:
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https://hdl.handle.net/10535/9610
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Sector:
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Grazing |
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Region:
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Africa |
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Subject(s):
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common pool resources
pastoralism
open access
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Abstract:
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"The discussion about the impact of pastoralists on
ecosystems has been profoundly shaped by Hardin’s tragedy
of the commons that held pastoralists responsible for overgrazing the range. Research has shown that grazing ecosystems are much more complex and dynamic than was
previously assumed and that they can be managed adaptively
as commons. However, proponents and critics of Hardin’s
thesis continue to argue that open access to common-pool
resources inevitably leads to a tragedy of the commons. A
longitudinal study that we conducted of pastoral mobility and
primary production in the Logone floodplain in the Far North
Region of Cameroon suggest that open access does not have
to lead to a tragedy of the commons. We argue that this
pastoral system is best conceptualized as an open system, in
which a combination of individual decision-making and coordination of movements leads to an ideal-free type of distribution of mobile pastoralists. We explain how this selforganizing system of open access works and its implications
for theories of management of common-pool resources and
our understanding of pastoral systems."
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