Nonuse Rights: An Innovative Way to Conserve Natural Resources

Published September 21, 2022

Noneuse rights allow environmental groups to buy and conserve land or resources that otherwise would have been sold to companies for development. As it currently stands, environmental groups are at a disadvantage when they attempt to conserve land and resources. Implementing nonuse rights would level the playing field and help build a flourishing conservation market.

Discussion Questions:

1. Are “use it or lose it” rules on natural resource development impediments to property rights?
2. Why are companies blamed for not conserving the environment when the government forbids environmental groups from competing with them?

Additional Resources:

• Read “Allow ‘Nonuse Rights’ to Conserve Natural Resources,” by Bryan Leonard, Shawn Regan, Christopher Costello, Suzi Kerr, Andrew J. Plantinga, James Salzman, V. Kerry Smith, and Temple Stoellinger via Science. Available here.
• Read “Un-American Reservations,” by Terry Anderson and Dominic Parker via Defining Ideas. Available here.
• Watch “Free Market Environmentalism,” with Terry Anderson on PolicyEd. Available here.