Striking a balance between shared use of finite resources and the interests of individual users is necessary in the Permian Basin. In 1968 Garrett Hardin published the manuscript "The Tragedy of the Commons." In his essay, Hardin described a hypothetical open pasture where cattle owners maximize individual financial gain by growing the size of their herd. However, each cattle owner increasing the number of cows in their herd increases the aggregate amount of grazing on the pasture. Initially, the negative effects of increased feeding are not well understood or costly enough to affect continued cattle population growth. However, as Hardin noted, "a finite world can support only a finite population." As the cattle owners continue to act according to their self-interest in pursuit of additional financial gain, the pasture reaches a point at which it can no longer support the grazing of any of the herds.
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