ABSTRACT
The threat to the common good by the group of users of a resource. The ‘commons’ can be agricultural land or any common resource such as a public park, a lake, or even a city.
This is an application of the problem of common ownership versus private ownership debated as long ago as Plato and Aristotle. With common land, it is to the benefit of the users collectively if there is conservation through attempting to optimise the grazing and other agricultural activities on the land. However, individuals with access can personally benefit by destructive behaviour for their own benefit.
