Understanding the Multidimensionality of Property Rights Orientations: Evidence from Utah and Texas Ranchers

The Natural Resource Management Implications of Rural Property Turnover

“…These findings are consistent with international research which suggests that new owners are different from longer term owners in terms of their environmental attitudes, attitudes towards property rights and duty of care, values, and land management practices. The findings are also consistent with international research which highlights the conservation motivations of new owners and production-oriented goals of longer term owners (Bohnet et al 2003, Jones et al 2003, Jackson-Smith et al 2005, Kendra and Hull 2005, Gosnell et al 2007, Loeffer and Ernst 2007, Yung and Belsky 2007. Interviews revealed varying levels of involvement in NRM among newer owners.…”

“…Several studies have been conducted with the goal of identifying generalizable differences between new migrants and longer term owners in terms of their values, attitudes, knowledge, and land management practices (Nelson 1997, Jones et al 2003, Burnley and Murphy 2004, Jackson-Smith et al 2005, Gosnell et al 2007, Yung and Belsky 2007. It appears that an important difference between new and longer term owners is a production or consumption orientation (Bohnet et al 2003, Loeffer andErnst 2007).…”

Applying Landscape Science to Natural Resource Management

“…Meanwhile, in rural-urban fringes and especially in scenically attractive locales, in-migration is leading to subdivision and substantive restructuring of rural landscapes (Gosnell andTravis 2005, Walford 2003). In some cases this has involved growth in hobby or part-time farming (e.g., Holloway 2002;Stobbe et al 2009), in others changes to land use and production orientation (Jackson-Smith et al 2005) and a rising proportion of absentee owners or "weekend farms" amongst newcomers. Yet newcomers often have less experience of NRM issues and NRM programs such as Landcare.…”

Upper Salinas Headwaters Conservation Plan

“…This point stresses the value of the quality of life motive indicated in much of the socioeconomic research on western ranching operations (Torell et al 2001;Pope 1988;Pope 1987;Martin 1966). The variability of ranching operations and the level of dedication to maintaining the lifestyle of individual ranchers are the only way to estimate ranching viability (Torell et al 2001;Jackson-Smith et al 2005, Huntsinger et al 2010). …”

“…Torell and Kincaid (1996) state that rancher's quality of life values are realized as land prices rise and the agricultural operation cannot explain the motives for continued ranching. Studies suggest that ranchers operate under a different economic model than that of profit maximization under the capitalism model Jackson-Smith et al 2005;Torel et al 2001;Pope 1988;Pope 1987;Martin 1966). Understanding typical economic drivers is typically done by making assumptions regarding a minimum rate of return and through economic modeling techniques estimating if variable inputs will drop the rate of return below the minimum threshold (Torell et al 2001).…”