Property Rights and Conservation Flashcards
Why should we conserve biodiversity?
They provide biological resources e.g. food and medicine, services e.g. climate, water, nutrients and for moral reasons e.g. stewardship
What are the main threats to biodiversity?
Population growth, climate change, impact on global trade, poorly conceived policies, failure to account for values, inequality of resource distribution
What are the current defects in law and policy regarding conservation?
Modern land laws are incompatible with communal property
Environmentally destructive subsidies
Trading creates pressure for economic advantage
Inadequate property rights
What is the great chain of being?
Holy, Animal, Vegetable, Mineral
Life consists of graded forms along a ladder
Lower levels are designed to serve the higher levels
What is observations of chimpanzees found?
Identified 39 different behaviour patterns similar to human culture
What is the Yosemite property rights story?
1849 gold prospectors invite the land
1850/51 Mariposa Indian war against the Miwok people
Miners brought with them epidemic disease and destroyed ecosystems
Growth of mining settlements sparked conflict
What was the Yosemite Land Grant Bill?
Granted 39200 acres of federal land encompassing Yosemite valley to California for public enjoyment, park was then run for the next 52 years before being taken over by the national parks service
What was the impact of this for the indigenous?
In 1890 the Miwoks call for compensation, and from 1906-1969 there is removal of settlers and in 1964 there was the US Wildnerness Act and national parks established to preserve the land
What is the Serengeti?
Largest National Park in Tanzania at 14,763km2
What occurred in the Serengeti in 1891?
Rinderpest arrives and 90-95% of cattle die followed by high conservation efforts and alienation of the native Maasai tribe
What is the Selous game reserve?
55,000km2 park, the second biggest conservation area in Africa and the largest game reserve (5% of Tanzania) and a world heritage site
When was the first national park in Britain?
1951
How many national parks are there now?
10 in England, 3 in Wales and 2 in Scotland
What is the purpose of national parks?
To conserve and enhance natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the land
To promote opportunities for the public understanding and enjoyment of the special quality of the parks
Who defined the types of property rights associated with land owners?
Ostrom and Schlager, 1992
