Abstract
Cooperation in the Commons: Community-based Rangeland Management in Namibia
Highlights
In his seminal essay, “The Tragedy of the Commons,” Garrett Hardin argued that unmanaged common resources are subject to overexploitation[1]
While we find no evidence that Community Based Rangeland and Livestock Management program (CBRLM) increased the number of cattle herds or the number of cattle per herd in treatment areas, we did observe that non-CBRLM-participating herd owners from inside and outside treated areas exploited the treated Grazing Areas (GAs)
We find that an external intervention to support community-based resource management generated substantial and persistent improvements in rangeland grazing management, community governance, and collective action
Summary
“The Tragedy of the Commons,” Garrett Hardin argued that unmanaged common resources are subject to overexploitation[1]. Hardin explained the tragedy of the commons using the metaphor of “a pasture open to all” in which each herd owner receives individual benefits from accumulating livestock while sharing the cost of overgrazing with other community members. This “natural” promotion of self-interest harms the common resource and brings ruin to all herders. Elinor Ostrom and other critics of Hardin’s thesis have documented numerous communities that successfully developed local management systems to avoid overexploitation of commonly held resources 3–9 These findings have generated considerable enthusiasm for programs undertaken by governmental and nongovernmental organizations that provide external support for holistic, community-based management of natural resources[2]. Rangeland vegetation and soils have been degraded by pressure from growing populations and reduced herd mobility
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
