Forest and People: Understanding the Institutional Governance, Social Identity, and People's Participation in Indian Forest Management

Abstract

"Community based forest management in India has emerged mainly in three forms - indigenous community forest management, crafted community forest management, and joint forest management. These three types vary in composition, institutional rules, functioning of managing committee, modes of resolving the conflicts, and leadership pattern. Present study analyzed whether these varied factors influence the social identity and peoples participation. Six indigenous community forest management units, four crafted community forest management and seven joint forest management units from three eastern states of India were studied. Both social identity and participation were significantly higher in indigenous community forest management than the joint forest management. Homogeneous community, units under participatory leadership had more social identity and people's participation. Members of indigenous and crafted community forest management had higher satisfaction with its institutional rules, managing committee's functioning, and leadership pattern than joint forest management. These factors of institutional governance directly enhanced social identity, and also participation."