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"This paper examines four case studies, both longitudinally over several years of development intervention and latitudinally across four villages in Udaipur district, southern Rajasthan, India, to explore the links between the health of Common Property Resources (CPRs) and community institutions and leadership. CPRs cover at least 15% of the landmass of India, with another approximately 25% of land under forest cover serving as additional uncounted CPRs and ecological buffers. CPRs represent a critical source of biomass in the form of fodder, fuel wood, timber, etc. for the livelihoods of the rural poor, while also maintaining the integrity of numerous important ecosystems. Aside from the economic and ecological importance of CPRs, we argue that their successful management can strengthen community solidarity among rural peoples by creating or revitalizing village-level institutions and local ecosystems. Vibrant leadership and village institutions in turn become a powerful tool for undertaking participatory development in other areas where trust, solidarity, and cooperation are necessary for success. In these cases, we examine the processes, successes, and failures of management of common properties like pastureland development and Joint Forest Management (JFM). The cases are examples from the ongoing programs of Seva Mandir, an Indian NGO with over 40 years of experience in grassroots participatory development among the tribal and village communities of Udaipur district. Seva Mandir has worked to rehabilitate the commons over a period of 20 years on more than 13,000 hectares of community lands." |
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