A common resource is a resource like pasture or water that provides tangible benefits
to all the users. However, an issue of concern regarding common resources is the concern
about use and overuse mainly when there are poor management systems to protect the
resources. This assignment will briefly describe the environment as a shared resource to determine how it is
best managed, the concepts of rivalry associated with it as well as ethical principles involved
and the dilemma created when managing this resource. As a common resource, an environment must be managed through collective action. This is because every person owns an environment starting from their homes outward, and every individual has a responsibility of maintaining its visual appeal and its foundation. No one owns the air and government makes an efforts to ensure that every aspect of the
environment is under control mainly when it comes to environmental pollution and emission
of harmful substances (Dale, 2015). Environment as a resource and a tragedy of commons is subject to rivalry during and at its management. For instance, grazing and fishing are aspects of the environment and are
perceived as a tragedy of commons. This means that with increased use, increased fishing and
grazing, the environmental resource gets depleted in time and when other people in use
cannot access it, it leads to the establishment of rivalry even in the ways his resource can be
managed. Another example of rivalry is present in Forest elephants herd found in Africa.  Forest elephants take well up to twenty years to begin the process of reproduction, giving birth every five to six years reproducing at a far lesser rate than the predators.  So with the increase in predators and the decrease in preys being produced (Milman, 2016). This means that predators would eventually hunt other species creating a rivalry between other predators that hunt those species.  Although some environmental aspects like air are non-rivalry since it can never be depleted (Dale, 2015). In conclusion, Sustainable development is an ethical principle that helps meet current needs without compromising how future generations shall meet their needs. This principle is
essential and is directly applicable to the environment to determine how environment as a
natural resource can be taken care of to cater to the needs of subsequent generations (Sharon,
2016).

References
Dale, L. (2015). Retrieved from
https://content.ashford.edu/print/AUPOL310.15.1?sections=ch02,ch02sec2.1,ch02sec2.2,ch0
2sec2.3,ch02sec2.4,ch02sec2.5,ch02summary&conten
Sharon B. (2016). The Nature of Sustainable Development, 2nd ed.,Scribe, Newham,
2016, ch. 6-8.

Milman, O. (2016, August 31). African forest elephants may face extinction sooner than thought: Study. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/31/african-forest-elephants-extinction-study