Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book begins with one of S. V. Ciriacy-Wantrap's former students in the hope that their special insights will help guide the reader toward the more significant of Wantrup's ideas. It focuses on the premise that to have read only Resource Conservation is to have overlooked many of Wantrup's most valuable contributions. The book also focuses on water-related issues. It looks at recent writings in the conservation area, with particular emphasis on irreversibility and uncertainty. The book examines the role of natural resources in economic development. It deals with various aspects of the "commons" problems. The book shows that social optimization over time is made exceedingly difficult because the future course of critical parameters like technology, tastes, institutions, population, and income levels cannot be foreseen.