PERC and the Endangered Species Act
A collection of ideas on how to improve the Endangered Species Act to promote species recovery.
Fix the Parks We Already Have
Shawn ReganCongress is poised to commit significant funding for the upkeep of America's national parks.
To Encourage More Species Recovery, We Need to Acknowledge and Reward Successes
Jonathan WoodIf the Endangered Species Act’s purpose is to recover species, is that purpose advanced or hindered by making it near impossible to delist recovered populations like the grizzly?
Why Grizzly Bear Hunting Season Isn’t Happening
Terry AndersonState tools are better suited for sustaining wildlife populations than the judge's gavel.
What are “Reasonable Efforts” to Restore Habitat?
Jonathan WoodSupreme Court argument highlights the importance of who pays to recover species.
The Dusky Gopher Frog’s Day in Court
Tate WatkinsHow we got to today's Supreme Court endangered species case.
The Feds Bungle Frog Hospitality
Jonathan WoodGovernment efforts to save a rare amphibian species have skewed incentives for conservation.
Should Dried Up Ponds Limit Property Rights?
Tate WatkinsThe yearslong dispute over a frog demonstrates how the Endangered Species Act has failed wildlife and private property owners alike.
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
This Land is Your Land
National Public Lands Day should be about taking care of them.
When Parks Are Too Popular for Their Own Good
How we can better manage our parks for increased visitation.
No Fences Make Bad Neighbors
By forcing landowners to open their gates to anyone, neighborliness evaporates.
Fisheries
Is the Era of Overfishing Coming to a Close in the U.S.?
How catch shares are helping to restore fish populations.
Conserving Taimen in Mongolia
In Mongolia, Taimen, a fish in the salmon and trout family, are being protected by catch-and-release fishing.
Save Fish, Establish Property Rights
Where property rights have been made clear, secure, and transferable, overfishing has been reduced.
Wildlife
Endangered Frog’s Survival Depends on Making Landowners Friends Not Foes
Maybe it’s a sign of our times that the Supreme Court’s next case could hinge on something so obscure as whether five ponds in southeastern Louisiana stay wet year-round.
Modernization of the Endangered Species Act
Jonathan Wood's testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources.
Proposed Changes Will Help Recover Endangered Species
Aligning the incentives of property owners with the interests of vulnerable species will promote recovery.
Tribes
Tribal Energy Resources: Reducing Barriers to Opportunity
PERC's testimony before the U.S. Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on the Interior, Energy, and Environment's hearing on tribal energy development.
Give Tribes Real Authority in Bears Ears National Monument
It’s time for Congress to act to provide meaningful co-management of Bears Ears to Native Americans.
Give Bears Ears To Native Americans
If tribes are going to get more say in protecting sacred sites, like Bears Ears, they will have to have a greater role than consultation.
Water
Involving States in Water Permitting
Can states inject more local knowledge into water permitting?
Transfer of Water Titles to Western Locals is Long Overdue
It’s time for Congress to give western irrigators control of the water they use.
Building a Groundwater Market From the Bottom Up
Groups in California are working together to build the state's first groundwater market.
Private Lands
Who Pays When Eagles Eat Livestock?
Why transaction costs matter.
No Fences Make Bad Neighbors
By forcing landowners to open their gates to anyone, neighborliness evaporates.
Changing the Endangered Species Act Could Actually Help Conservation
Avoiding conflicts over endangered species could allow states, landowners and conservationists to work more proactively to recover species.
Publications
Volume 37, No.1, Summer 2018
The Road to Recovery
Volume 36, No.2, Winter 2017
A New Landscape: 8 Ideas for the Interior Department
Mobilizing Markets to Reduce Bycatch in Marine Fisheries
Clearing the Smoke from Wildfire Policy: An Economic Perspective
Volume 36, No.1, Summer 2017
Environmental Policy in the Anthropocene
Managing Conflicts over Western Rangelands
