From Joint Management to Community Ownership of Forest in India: The Legal Challenge

Abstract

"Forestry management in India is at a radical transition phase. Local experience, shift in policy and consequent government initiatives has led to growth of various local initiatives and institutions which can have far reaching consequences in management and protection of the forest resources especially forests which are under the common property resources (CPR) regime. Although the expanse of CPRs is broad and may include village pastures, community forest, wasteland, common thrashing ground, water drainage, village ponds, rivers/rivulets etc the present paper attempts to see the complexity of managing forests in India especially when it comes to the institutional arrangements and ownership pattern. While on one hand there is big thrust to joint forest management primarily due to the involvement of the external sector, there is growing body of knowledge and lobbying for granting community ownership in forest areas especially in non-tribal areas. Whether these approaches are complimentary or opposed or whether new strategies are required to be developed is the current inquiry of this paper."