Institutions for Managing Ecosystem Services

Abstract

"Two decades of research into the management of what economists call common-pool resources suggests that, under the right conditions, local communities can manage shared resources sustainably and successfully. These revolutionary findings challenge the long-held belief in the 'tragedy of the commons.' Instead, we have found that tragedy is not inevitable when a shared resource is at stake, provided that people communicate. In many places--from Swiss pastures to Japanese forests--communities have come together for the sake of the environment and their own long-term well-being."