The Changing View of Property Rights in Natural Resources Management

The social, demographic, technological, and ecological circumstances in the United States have changed since its beginning. Society's view of property rights—i.e., the way resources are to be used—has evolved accordingly. Resource owners’virtually unrestricted right to use their property as they wished disappeared along with the western frontier, pristine wilderness, and abundant natural resources. There is now a strong commitment to preserve what little nature and resource are left. To overcome the problem of abuse or destruction of nature, it is necessary to recognize, first and foremost, that the problem has become institutionalized over the years and, secondly, that humans and natural objects are interdependent and are of roughly equal importance in the biotic community. Protection of nature against abuse therefore requires that nature be granted legal rights on moral grounds, that consequently human decisions and actions must take into consideration their impacts on nature, and that defenders of nature be able to raise its rights in its own name in any administrative or legal dispute.