Rational behavior vs shared resources
The textbook situation of the Tragedy of the Commons illustrates how several stakeholders sharing the use of the same resources - grazing lands - end up depleting them when acting independently in their self-interests. The critical problem here - uneasy about resolving - is the tendency to overexploit the shared goods beyond sustainable limits due to public accessibility and lack of cooperation. Garrett Hardin initially described this case in his influential article "The Tragedy of the Commons" (Science magazine, 1968) was later broadly used to shape the principles of Environmentalism, Private properties, and Public Trust doctrine regulation.
The central ideas of this piece - Rational Behavior - maximizing personal gains, Negative Externalities - environmental damage, Overexploitation, Lack of Cooperation, and Free-Rider problem discouraging collective action - apply to the share of limited resources of water-based ecosystems as their value is underestimated - as much as any other "free" shared resource - the broader understanding of their importance appear at the stage of extensive loss.
The Tragedy of the Commons and its successors suggested a number of potential solutions to overcome our collective unconscious. Those are nested within the move to environmentalism doctrine as the modern, innovative attitude to the ecosystems as the equally essential subjects of the land use relations as the human communities. The first solution is institutional - establishing clear property rights and resource regulations encouraging responsible use and management. Then, encouraging collective action, cooperation, and community-based management systems incentivizes stakeholders to work under sustainable resource management together. Then, market-based mechanisms - like cap-and-trade systems, where resource users have limited tradable permits - can provide economic incentives for sustainable resource use. Furthermore, the key to resolving the problem are education, increasing awareness, and technological innovations, such as monitoring systems and data analysis supporting effective resource management practices.
Private property and industrialization have drastically changed the attitude to natural resources from the ancient tribal connection to mother nature as a source and a giver of all goods - to a superior perception of its values as possessions ruled by humans. Using natural resources is understandable through the lens of growing urban areas' industrial and further economic needs. Although, the results are predictable as well. The extraction of materials and resources, as well as the water resource itself, goes beyond the limits and demands exponential growth.
The Public Trust Doctrine made an essential step toward protecting ecosystems from extensive use. This legal principle asserts that natural resources, including coastal ecosystems, can be held in trust by the government for the current and future benefits of the public. These resources must be managed and protected to ensure their long-term availability for public use. Government is responsible for protecting and preserving the ecological integrity of the coastal ecosystems as essential public resources. The doctrine emphasizes the need for sustainable management practices in coastal areas and the positive social impact of the restoration projects. They must enhance public access, recreation opportunities, and educational activities in coastal areas. Finally, the Public Trust Doctrine facilitates interagency cooperation in planning and implementing restoration projects to ensure the best possible outcomes.
The emerging doctrine of environmentalism accepts the rights of natural habitats equal to our own. As it evolves, more tools to enforce the ecosystems are developing. Creating the conditions for sustainable urban development while maintaining the quality of ecosystems and habitats require land use policies to preserve and allow them to migrate along with changing climate. Conservation efforts, green infrastructure, low-impact development, and even managed retreat from the areas of the essential coastal ecosystems` migration and flood risks - these are our ways out of the broken balance between economic and environmental goals. A better understanding of the ecosystem values and benefits comes from the broader awareness of our symbiotic relations with nature in general and coastal ecosystems specifically. Community groups and not-for-profit environmental organizations, education, and outreach are the ways to support bottom-up efforts for ecosystem protection and restoration.
Development and resource conflicts pose many barriers and limitations against ecosystem restoration. The long-term resilience approaches must start with small steps and find the base in social understanding of the actual ecosystem values. Each person or city may be motivated to exploit the water resource as much as possible without considering its long-term sustainability. Unregulated and excessive use results in degradation, affecting present and future users - seen from the multiple cases of exhausted waterbodies - such as Aral Lake or Colorado River. Luckily, the alternative - collaborative and cross-jurisdictional - approaches have already proven their efficiency in preventing environmental damage, as the example of the Chesapeake Bay area illustrates. Following the lessons of the Tragedy of the commons and its real-life implications, we will learn how to manage our natural values responsibly and collaboratively. After all, if not ecosystems, then what can we learn from to adapt to changing climate?
