Elk Occupancy Agreements
PERC and GYC have partnered with a family ranch to enact the first elk occupancy agreement in the northern Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Tending National Parks: What would you pay?
Watch PERC's latest short film that explores how user fees can empower park visitors to directly contribute to the care and maintenance of our national parks.
Conserving Wildlife Habitat with Landowner Hunting Permits
Catherine E. Semcer, Jack SmithLessons from western states to enhance voluntary conservation on private lands.
Environmentalists Should Be Able to Bid for Oil Leases
Dominic ParkerGetting rid of use-it-or-lose-it rules will be a win-win for free markets and the environment.
Elk Occupancy Agreement Pioneers Private Conservation of Elk Habitat
Kat DwyerPERC and GYC have partnered to implement the first elk occupancy agreement in the northern Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
In Conservation Efforts, US Must Support African Countries
Catherine E. Semcer, Urs Kreuter, Brian ChildTo restore America’s position as a global conservation leader, Congress should avoid adopting arbitrary bans on the importation of hunting trophies.
Litigating to Make Forest Management Worse
Jonathan WoodManaging forests is more than putting out fires, and excessive litigation can make the risk and consequences of wildfire worse.
Stranded Land Constrains Public Land Management and Contributes to Larger Fires
Bryan Leonard, Andrew Plantinga, Matthew WibbenmeyerWildfire prevention and suppression could be bolstered by improved access to public lands.
About PERC
Founded in 1980 in Bozeman, Montana, PERC—the Property and Environment Research Center—is the home of free market environmentalism. Our research is dedicated to harnessing the power of markets and property rights to improve environmental quality.
Research Areas
Public Lands
Getting Bureaucrats Out of the Way of Forest Management
It's time for Montana to reassess what it can do to reduce future wildfire risk.
Fireproofing America’s Forests
Restoration projects can lessen the severity of wildfires—but bureaucratic red tape too often gets in the way.
Property Rights Can Save the Environment
A podcast on free market environmentalism and the not-so-wild West.
Wildlife
How Not to Protect Endangered Species
The Biden administration is taking the wrong approach in its efforts to help threatened wildlife.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Moves to Rescind Rule Defining “Habitat”
The proposed repeals are likely to exacerbate conflict and alienate private landowners on whom species recovery depends.
Property Rights Can Save the Environment
A podcast on free market environmentalism and the not-so-wild West.
Water
Do Environmental Markets Improve on Open Access? Evidence from California Groundwater Rights
Abstract Environmental markets are widely prescribed as an alternative to open access regimes for natural resources. We develop a model of dynamic groundwater extraction to…
Efficiency Implications of Trading in a Bifurcated Market
An analysis of the frequency of trading and the causes of price dispersion for short-term water leases in the Edwards Aquifer in Texas.
Trading Water, Saving Water
Water markets help the West cope with supply-side shocks and evolving demands.
Private Lands
A Market Solution for Hunting Access
Entrepreneurs are finding creative ways to give hunters access to private land while respecting property rights.
How Not to Protect Endangered Species
The Biden administration is taking the wrong approach in its efforts to help threatened wildlife.
Property Rights Can Save the Environment
A podcast on free market environmentalism and the not-so-wild West.
Hunters and Anglers
A Market Solution for Hunting Access
Entrepreneurs are finding creative ways to give hunters access to private land while respecting property rights.
Transferable Landowner Hunting Tags Have Potential
Montana needs new, collaborative solutions that address the needs of landowners while enhancing wildlife conservation.
Transferable Hunting Permit Programs Can Be a Vital Tool for Conservation
PERC's latest policy brief reviews several different state transferable hunting tag programs and identifies how best to craft a program that promotes wildlife habitat conservation.
Fisheries
Markets, Not Ill-Fitting Regulatory Mandates, Are the Solution to Bycatch
Markets can overcome the technological challenge by giving fishers and others the incentive to develop new ways to reduce bycatch.
Markets and Property Rights are Improving the Environment
A podcast on free market environmentalism and its track record around the world.
A Different Shade of Green
Markets and property rights are working to solve a variety of environmental problems.
Publications
Conserving Wildlife Habitat with Landowner Hunting Permits
Volume 40, No.1, Summer 2021
Fix America's Forests: Reforms to Restore National Forests and Tackle the Wildfire Crisis
A Better Way to Fund Conservation and Recreation
Enhancing the Public Lands Recreation Fee System
Fixing National Park Maintenance For the Long Haul
Volume 38, No.2, Winter 2019
Prospecting for Pollution: The Need for Better Incentives to Clean Up Abandoned Mines
Volume 38, No.1, Summer 2019
The Road to Recovery
Volume 37, No.1, Summer 2018
