Environmental Challenges: Hierarchy in Property Rights

Increasing populations and social changes are pressurising our relationship with the environment. Property rights are embedded in power structures and land management. This course explores the different ways that nature is perceived by different types of societies and the impact of property rights on natural resource management.

This course explores three approaches to the hierarchy of property rights, and applies these to environmental use and management around the world. It also includes advice on producing a policy brief for an environmental issue.

The course is suitable for anyone with a general interest in environmental decision-making; no previous knowledge or experience is required.

If you are working in environmental management, or wish to learn more about it, this course is designed to support you as a professional. By completing all aspects of the course you will have achieved 14 hours of CPD time.

• The principles of hierarchy in property rights
• Welcome
• Hunter-gatherers vs agriculturalists
• Hierarchy of property rights
• More people, less erosion
• Revision
• Summary
• Applying the principles
• About week 2
• Case study: Power and rights
• Discussion: the language of nature
• Writing about – Policy brief
• Revision
• Summary