Conservation easements are an increasingly important tool for protecting the environment. Roughly 24 million acres in the United States are … More
Category: Property Rights
The inevitable overregulation and overcriminalization of environmental law
A four-year battle between the federal government and Duarte Nursery over the farm’s plowing of a field to plant wheat—for … More
Can property rights fight forest fires and facilitate conservation?
Forests have long been hotspots (pardon the pun) for environmental conflict because so much of their use is determined politically. … More
Will capitalism save the rhino?
Rhinos have been hunted to the verge of extinction because of their valuable horns. Most governments have responded, as they … More
Endangered species depend on private land for habitat, so why treat landowners as the enemy?
Designating uninhabitable private land as “critical habitat” discourages private conservation with no compensating benefit for species.
Worried about droughts? Embrace water markets
In the last few years, California experienced a long, severe drought. It was extremely painful, but not as painful as … More
Will regulation undermine the sharing economy’s environmental potential?
The sharing economy holds tremendous environmental potential by making it easier for people to make more with less.
Cell phones secure property rights where government doesn’t
For centuries, technology has allowed people to make spectacular strides in doing more with less. The ultimate resource is human … More
We need monumental creativity to resolve Antiquities Act conflicts
We need monumental creativity to resolve Antiquities Act conflicts, which is threatened by both sides digging in.
Property rights to the rescue of Maine’s seaweed
Concerns about the sustainability of Maine rockweed have an easy solution: property rights. If landowners also own these plants, they will be able to express their environmental values by conserving it and have an incentive to prevent overharvesting.
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