Can leasing for conservation reduce conflict?

Bryan Leonard, Shawn Regan, Christopher Costello, et. al.

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Can leasing for conservation reduce conflict?

Bryan Leonard, Shawn Regan, Christopher Costello, et. al.

Abstract

From water rights to mining, logging, grazing, and oil-and-gas leases, private parties are usually granted rights to public natural resources on a use-it-or-lose-it basis; if they donâ€™t divert, mine, log, graze, harvest, or extract, the lease may be forfeited. As such, conservation interests are unable to acquire public natural resource rights directly from the market, even when they are willing to pay more than resource developers. The authors of this study held listening sessions, analyzed economic and legal literature, and looked at relevant statutes and regulations to understand what would be involvedâ€”and what potential side effects might beâ€”if "non-use" rights were recognized. They found that letting conservation interests purchase natural resource rights could provide a market-based alternative to top-down regulation when navigating multiple uses on public land. The authors also outlined a series of potential pitfalls and called for further research.