The case of Ecuador demonstrates clearly that command-and-control measures are ineffective for preserving natural resources or maintaining environmental quality consistent with sustainable development. Ecuador’s environmental challenges can be met only by developing one resource the country lacks: a well-structured system of private-property rights.

Franklin Lopez is an adjunct professor of economics at the University of New Orleans and Tulane University.
Defense and Foreign PolicyEconomyFree Market EconomicsInternational Economics and DevelopmentLand UseLatin AmericaLaw and LibertyPrivatizationProperty Rights, Land Use, and ZoningPublic ChoiceRegulation