Asian societies are entering a new era of decentralized governance of forests. The authority to make decisions on forest management has shifted to lower levels of government and, in some cases, to the local people themselves. But can governments simply `decentralize` authority away from the center, or are there certain core elements necessary to achieve sustainable management and conservation of forests in a decentralized world?This book argues that policy solutions to resource dilemmas faced by forest-accessing rural communities must be flexible, and should allow for local dynamics and innovations to take place. Presenting case studies from Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam, this volume investigates how decentralization is affecting local stakeholders and their management of forest resources.

Asian societies are entering a new era of decentralized governance of forests. The authority to make decisions on forest management has shifted to lower levels of government and, in some cases, to the local people themselves. But can governments simply `decentralize` authority away from the center, or are there certain core elements necessary to achieve sustainable management and conservation of forests in a decentralized world?

This book argues that policy solutions to resource dilemmas faced by forest-accessing rural communities must be flexible, and should allow for local dynamics and innovations to take place. Presenting case studies from Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam, this volume investigates how decentralization is affecting local stakeholders and their management of forest resources.

Foreword - Marilyn W Hoskins
Preface - William R Burch, JNR
Forest Policy as a Changing Context in Asia - Edward L Webb
Decentralization and Community-Based Forestry: Learning from Experience - Arun Agrawal and Elinor Ostrom
The Evolution of Forest-related Institutions in Bhutan: Adaptations of Local People to the Rising State - Edward L Webb and Lam Dorji
Integrating Informal with Formal Forest Management Institutions for Sustainable Collective Action in India - Rucha Ghate and Deepshikha Mehra
Decentralization Policy and Revitalization of Local Institutions for Protected Area Co-management in West Sumatra, Indonesia - Yonariza and Ganesh P Shivakoti
Evolution and Impacts of Community-based Forest Management in the Hills of Nepal - Ambika P Gautam and Ganesh P Shivakoti
Implications of Leasehold and Community Forestry for Poverty Alleviation - Mukunda Karmacharya, Birendra Karna and Elinor Ostrom
Disentangling a Complex Web: Forests, People and Decentralization in Nepal - Harini Nagendra, Mukunda Karmacharya and Birendra Karna
Evolution of Community-Based Management and Forest Health in Northern Thailand - Nitaya Kijtewachakul, Ganesh P Shivakoti and Edward L Webb
Case Study of Nahai and Huai-muang Villages in Sopsai Watershed, Thawangpa District, Nan Province
Incentives of the Forest Land Allocation Process: Implications for Forest Management in Nam Dong District, Central Vietnam - Ngo Tri Dung and Edward L Webb
Facilitating Decentralized Policies for Sustainable Governance and Management of Forest Resources in Asia - Ganesh P Shivakoti and Elinor Ostrom
Index