Liberty Discussion on “Introduction : Property in Ecology”

Liberty Discussion for the month of July was held on July 29, 2022 on article “Introduction: Property in Ecology” by Jonathan Adler. The participants discussed the ideology if private property is good for the environment or is it an idea that could possibly lead to an ecological  catastrophe. While participants unanimously agreed that in comparison to government – owned or public property, privately owned property were far better cared for and protected, they also noted that the idea of private property in conservation might not completely guarantee environmental protection. Some participants asserted that it is impossible to carry out development work without exploiting resources, however this should not be done to an excessive degree. Stringent and open monitoring polices should be implemented to keep environmental conservation in check.

The participants also discussed on potential solutions for environmental protection involving private, government, and community ownership. Among various solutions explored participants reached a consensus that ownership and protection responsibilities should be assigned to communities that actually live in and benefit from the environment on an incentive basis. While discussing this solution participants noted that these communities should be regularly monitored by relevant authorities in order to prevent abuse of power and resources.