Paradigms lost: changing views on the use of common property resources

According to Hardin, author of the tragedy of the commons paradigm, the sum total of environmental resources are condemned to over-exploitation and degradation through the actions of a small number of individuals bent on maximising their short-term profit. More recently however researchers interested in the management of common resources have contested Hardin's pessimistic views. They have noticed that most users of common resources cooperate at the same time as they protect their individual interests. This creates a fresh paradigm that must link questions of ethics with environmental considerations. It is therefore necessary to highlight the role of collective action and local organisations in common resource management. -M.Dean