The management of common-pool resources can be challenging, as it is difficult to prevent overuse or depletion of the resource. When a common-pool resource is open to access by many people, it can be subject to the "tragedy of the commons," in which individuals have an incentive to overuse the resource in order to maximise their own short-term gain, even if it is to the detriment of the resource and others in the long-term.

There are several different approaches to common-pool resource management, including centralisation (such as through government regulation), privatisation, and local management by user groups.