A regional elephant management board recently proposed a five-year moratorium on elephant hunting in Botswana based on a study of the elephant population. Which of the following statements is not correct?
A)Elephants are rival but not excludable.
B)The elephant population is an example of the tragedy of the commons.
C)Reducing the quota on the number of elephants any hunter can kill would have a protective effect on the elephant population.
D)If left unregulated, the elephant population will likely increase.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The statement that if left unregulated, the elephant population will likely increase, is not correct in the context of the tragedy of the commons. The tragedy of the commons suggests that individual users, acting independently according to their own self-interest, behave contrary to the common good of all users by depleting or spoiling the shared resource through their collective action. In the case of elephants, without regulation, overhunting or habitat destruction could lead to a decrease in the elephant population, not an increase.

A Regional Elephant Management Board Recently Proposed a Five-Year Moratorium