Conflicts over the commons

1. Conflicts over the commons KGA172 Space, Place and Nature Presented by Associate Professor Elaine Stratford Semester 2

2. a verb from the early fifteenth century, from the Latin conflictus, past participle of confligere, meaning “to strike together” ... conflicted ...

3. Social system Social institutions Health Justice Faith Commerce Education Leisure Government Sustenance Social cycles Physiological Individual Institutional Environmental Social order Identity Social norms Hierarchy Age Informal Wealth Gender Formal Power Class Status Caste Knowledge Clan Territory Human ecosystem Critical resources Natural resources Energy Land and water Flora and fauna Materials and nutrients Socio-economic resources Population Labour and capital Information Cultural resources Organization Beliefs Myth

5. Part 1 Looking back, looking forward

6. Revising Lecture 3.6 What are the main aims of the EPBC Act 1999 and what does this acronym stand for? What is the International Convention on Biological Diversity and what are its key purposes? How is biological diversity defined in the Convention? What are the three levels of biodiversity and what are the chief characteristics of each? Using Darwin’s chaffinches as an example, describe the process of environmental selection. What three spatial patterns are apparent in species diversity? Why do you think these patterns arise? What is the Red List? What are its main functions? In what ways is Australian biodiversity noteworthy? What is the CAR system and why does area matter in this system? How might biodiversity conservation needs vary across different ecosystems? A Woman Thinking

7. Learning Objectives Module 3 Lecture 7 KGA172 Know and be able to (a) employ basic geographical terminology and concepts, (b) find, evaluate, analyse and reference appropriate literature, (c) contribute to debates about development and sustainability Comprehend and be able to explain spatial patterns, generate basic maps, field sketches and graphs, and communicate in written and graphical forms Apply key academic skills and (a) engage in critical thinking, discussion and listening, and in self-reflection and reflection upon the viewpoints of others and (b) research, plan and conduct fieldwork to collect data Analyse and interpret basic spatial, numerical and qualitative information Synthesize and integrate knowledge of social and Earth systems • be able to • define ‘the commons’ • understand the ideas embedded in Garrett Hardin’s story of the ‘tragedy of the commons’ • appreciate the social and political difficulties that affect space, place and nature when there is no clear ownership of resources • suggests ways in which these problems might be solved

8. Textbook Reading Kurlansky, M. (1999) Three Wars to Close the Open Sea in Cod, in A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World, Vintage Press, London, pp.158-73. Hardin, G. (1968) Tragedy of the Commons, Science, 162, December, 1243-8. Critical reading What is the author’s purpose? What key questions or problems does the author raise? What information, data and evidence does the author present? What key concepts does the author use to organize this information, this evidence? What key conclusions is the author coming to? Are those conclusions justified? What are the author’s primary assumptions? What viewpoints is the author writing from? What are the implications of the author’s reasoning? [from Foundation for Critical Thinking] Old Woman Reading a Lectionary, Gerard Dou

9. Part 2 what are the commons?

10. The commons Non-excludable users cannot be excluded Rivalrousthere is rivalry for access because consumption by one owner is subtracted from the consumption of another

11. Two types of commons • open-access resources: for example, high seas fisheries [see Law of the Sea, and Fallon and Stratford on the case of the Patagonian Toothfish] • common-ownership resources: for example, fisheries, waterways, grazing lands, forests, the atmosphere

13. Part 3 tragedy of the commons [the remorseless working of things]

19. Listen to a broadcast from ABC Radio National’s Rear Vision program onThe end of fish, 22 July 2009

20. High seas = National jurisdiction = From open access to common access – management response to a tragedy?

21. Pollution in the commons = unwanted externalities. www.flickr.com Banana donuts ~ Half Baked Photography Nasty trash in Ipswich waters … eewww

22. An externality “results when the actions of one individual (or firm) have a direct, unintentional, and uncompensated effect on the well-being of other individuals or the profits of other firms”. Keohane, N.O. & S.M. Olmstead (2007, 66). Markets and the Environment, Island Press, Washington.

23. Problems in resolving conflicts over commons • it can be difficult to align individual and common interest • we have inadequate scientific knowledge of ecosystem functioning and dynamics • the role of technology is not fully understood or accounted for = it is difficult to get common ownership rights and responsibilities right • there is insufficient engagement between resource users and decision-makers

24. Possible Solutions? • universal agreements on rights and responsibilities for open-access resources • market-based instruments • precautionary management with mechanisms for amending rights and responsibilities in response to unfavourable change or better scientific models • engagement between resource users and decision-makers to develop appropriate common ownership rights and responsibilities