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In recent decades `participatory' approaches to forest management have been introduced around the world. Forests, People and Power assesses their implementation in the highly politicized environments of India and Nepal. The authors critically examine the policy, implementation processes and causal factors affecting livelihood impacts. Considering narratives and field practice, using data from over 60 study villages with over 1000 household interviews, as well as key actors in policy making at all levels, Forests, People and Power demonstrates why particular field outcomes have occurred and why policy reform often proves so difficult. Research findings on which Forests, People and Power is based are already influencing policy in India and Nepal, and the research and analysis have great relevance to forestry management in a wide range of countries.
Part I: Key Issues and Approach
- Introduction: Setting Up Key Policy Issues in Participatory Forest Management (PFM)
- The Emergence of PFM in South Asia: A Historical Narrative
- Analytical Issues: The Policy Process
- Actors and their Narratives in PFM? Livelihoods and Poverty Alleviation
Part II: PFM: The Field Reality
- Introduction
- Orissa
- West Bengal
- Andhra Pradesh
- Nepal Hills
- Nepal Tarai
Part III: Answering the Research Questions
- Comparative Policy and Impact Issues
- PFM, Sustainability and Social Justice
Oliver Springate-Baginski is a Senior Research Fellow, Overseas Development Group, University of East Anglia (UEA). Piers Blaikie is a Professional Fellow at the School of Development Studies, University of East Anglia (UEA).
"With tens of millions of hectares and hundreds of millions of lives in the balance, the debate over who should control South Asia's forests is of tremendous political significance. This book provides an insightful and thorough assessment of important forest management transitions currently underway."
- Mark Poffenberger, Executive Director of Community Forestry International
"The contributions in this volume not only breathe life into the field of writing and analysis related to forests, they do so on the strength of extraordinarily insightful research. Kudos to Springate-Baginski and Blaikie for providing us with a set of thoroughly researched, provocative studies that should be required reading not only for those interested in community forestry in south Asia, but in resource governance anywhere."
- Arun Agrawal, Associate Professor of Natural Resources & Environment, University of Michigan, USA
"Makes a significant contribution to theory and practice of participatory forest management."
- Yam Malla, Executive Director, Regional Community Forestry Training Center for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok
"This excellent and timely book provides thought-provoking insights to the issues of power and politics in forestry and the difficulties of transforming age-old structures that circumscribe the access of the poor to forests and their resources; it challenges our assumptions of the benefits of participatory forest management and the role of forestry in poverty reduction. It should be of interest to policy-makers and to all those who have been involved with the struggle of transforming forestry over the decades."
- Dr Mary Hobley, Hobley Shields Associates (Natural Resource Management and Planning Consultancy)
"A rare combination of extensive field study, social science insights and policy studies [...] will be of immense value"
- Dr N. C. Saxena, Member of National Advisory Council, Government of India
