Tragedy of the Commons

The purpose of the activity is to explore how resources are used and exploited when they are available to multiple parties. Students are able to come up with a solution to harvest a population for human use by means of a sustainable harvest.

Our students used Swedish Fish, drinking straws and their own creative techniques to provide for their families using a common fishing hole.

At the end of the activity, students should be familiar with the concept and the consequences of various public land use regimes