Determinants and Challenges of Sustainable Forest Governance in India: An Analysis in Retrospect and Prospect

This paper looks into the role of community based natural resource management focussing on the Joint Forest Management (JFM) in India. The analysis presented is the result of triangulation of critical review of the literature on the JFM with the empirical case study on the joint/community forest management from erstwhile Andhra Pradesh. The paper further discusses the forest acts and policies in detail while explaining the emergence of the innovative concept of joint management involving local communities. At the same time, it touches upon crucial issues, viz. climate change and REDD+ even while highlighting the major determining factors and challenges that confront the sustainability of forest governance through community based institutions.