2024 Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture by Bonnie McCay

Bonnie J. McCay delivers the lecture "What can 'the commons' mean to policy and practice in a rapidly changing climatic, cultural, and political world?" as one of the 2024 Rachel Carson Distinguished Anniversary Lecture Series on Feb 1.

Abstract: Today, the vast, sometimes global, reach of the socio-ecological systems we depend on, not to mention the multiple crises many of them now face, makes it challenging to use the idea of “the commons” in any meaningful way.  The “tragic” version is that many common-pool resources are subject to overuse and abuse; other versions see alternative dramas, where communities are capable of equitable and sustainable management of those resources, with or without the help of higher level governance.  But the idea is open to multiple interpretations and politics. Scaling up and out can be difficult, even though the “design principles” of small-scale common-pool resource management might translate.  The ideology and story of “the commons” can motivate private and collective action, but for that and so much more, contexts and histories matter.  We are now forced to reckon with the reality that the climate of the earth is rapidly changing, and the wisdom and tradition of efforts to deal equitably and sustainably with common-pool resources should be among the tools we have to do our best.  I will address these ideas with reference to my studies on marine fisheries, which provide parables for the future. 

Bonnie J. McCay retired from Rutgers University, the State University of New Jersey, in 2016, as Distinguished Professor Emerita after many years teaching and doing research based in the Department of Human Ecology. 

She received her Ph.D. in environmental anthropology from Columbia University.  Her version of human ecology is based on fieldwork among people who make their livelihoods from the oceans, as well as serving on committees engaged in marine science policy. 

In her writing, she has emphasized questions about the management of common pool resources and the importance of co-management and co-production of knowledge, where the users of such resources play significant roles together with scientists and managers.  She has received many prestigious honors and awards, such as being a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and also a fellow of the American Fisheries Society and other professional organizations.