The purpose of this simulation is to demonstrate how individuals using a common resource (the commons) for their own personal gain will inevitably result in the degradation of the commons, and a decrease in the yield for both the group and the individual.
Background
In 1968 the Tragedy of the Commons was published. A major premise of the article is the notion that any resource that is open for anyone to use – such as air or parts of the ocean – will eventually be destroyed because everyone can use the resource, but no one is responsible for preserving it. When people are not compelled to preserve resources for the welfare of future generations, the Tragedy of the Commons occurs.
In this simulation, each one of you represents the head of a family that is in need of food.
Question 1
1.
Enter your data here.
Question 2
2.
Enter your data here.
Question 3
3.
Did anyone in your group take too many fish? (Yes or No)
Did everyone try to take as many as possible? (Yes or No)
Explain what happened in your group.
Question 4
4.
Did anyone sacrifice any fish for the good of the community? (Yes or No)
Does society ever reward this type of person?
Explain.
Question 5
5.
In round 2…How did your strategy change, if at all?
Did it make a difference to know that those who caught more fish were rewarded?
Question 6
6.
Is it possible to maximize the number of fish caught per person AND maintain a sustainable population of fish in the pond at the same time?
If so, explain how.
Question 7
7.
Question 8
8.
Question 9
9.
Think of a local commons that you are familiar with (social areas, eating areas, bathrooms, parking lots, etc). Explain how a tragedy of the commons situation can arise in one of these areas.
Question 10
10.
Propose a solution for how the problem could be solved.
Question 11
11.
Question 12
12.
Question 13
13.
Question 14
14.
Explain why overfishing of privately owned lakes are not an example of the tragedy of the commons.
Besides humans, what else might rely on the fish in our lake as a resource?
Atmosphere
Bears
Algae
Birds
Other fish
How could our fishing practices impact the lake ecosystem?
We could deplete the fish numbers and cause a trophic cascade
We could add lime to the water in order to bring the pH back to normal
We could add extra fish to the lake that become invasive
The owner could restrict use of the lake
What are some natural resources that are commons resources?
Metals
Soil
Federal land
Atmosphere
Ocean
Oil
For the Tragedy of the Commons to occur, the resources must be
Shared
Government owned
Privately owned
Off limits to everyone
How can we protect overused natural resources?
Deregulate all restrictions on the use of the resource
Allocate individual ownership to the resource
Require a lottery system for who can extract the resource