"More and more, participatory approaches to forest governance and management are replacing intensive 'scientific' exploitation but how successfully have they been implemented?"
"The most thorough assessment of the success and failure of 'participatory' approaches - an indispensable benchmark to those concerned with forest management worldwide."

Focusing on Asia, this book is based on research spanning all levels, from households to key policy makers, the findings of which are already having real impact on the ground

In recent decades 'participatory' approaches to forest management have been introduced around the world. This book 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, the book demonstrates why particular field outcomes have occurred and why policy reform often proves so difficult. Research findings on which the book 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.

Table of Contents

PART 1: KEY ISSUES AND APPROACH
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION: SETTING UP KEY POLICY ISSUES IN PARTICIPATORY FOREST MANAGEMENT
Piers Blaikie & Oliver Springate-Baginski

• A Guide to this Book
• Issues of 'people and forests' in India and Nepal
• Our approach
• Political ecology: understanding the politics of the environment
• Pessimistic and optimistic stereotypes
• Key research questions and summary findings

CHAPTER 2: ANNEXATION, STRUGGLE AND RESPONSE: FOREST, PEOPLE AND POWER IN INDIA AND NEPAL
Oliver Springate-Baginski & Piers Blaikie with Ajit Banerjee, Binod Bhatta, Om Prakash Dev, V. Ratna Reddy, Gopinath Reddy, Sushil Saigal, Kailas Sarap, Madhu Sarin

• The Emergence of Participatory Forest Management in India
• The Emergence of Participatory Forest Management in Nepal
• Inconsistencies in forest policy in Nepal
• Donor projects in Nepal
• Recent and Current Policy and Implementation Issues in India and Nepal

CHAPTER 3: UNDERSTANDING THE POLICY PROCESS
Piers Blaikie & Oliver Springate-Baginski

• Introduction to Linkages Between Policy and Livelihood Impacts
• PFM in the policy process
• Policy-making at the national level: India
• Countervailing pressures on the forest administration of India
• Policy-making at the national level in Nepal
• Countervailing pressures of the forest administration of Nepal
• The state/sub-national level
• Policy and the local political ecology
• Conclusion

CHAPTER 4: ACTORS AND THEIR NARRATIVES IN PFM
Piers Blaikie & Oliver Springate-Baginski with Ajit Banerjee, Binod Bhatta, Sushil Saigal, Madhu Sarin

• Our Approach
• Policy Narratives
• The 'state forestry' narrative
• The 'popular / civil society' narrative
• Responses of State Forest Administration
• Participation: from narrative to practicalities
• Conclusion

CHAPTER 5: UNDERSTANDING THE DIVERSITY OF PFM LIVELIHOOD AND POVERTY IMPACTS.
Oliver Springate-Baginski & Piers Blaikie

• Livelihoods and the Popular Narrative
• Livelihood Systems and Forest Use in South Asia
• Poverty and Forest Policy
• PFM Implementation Process at the Local Level
• Understanding the Impacts of PFM Implementation on Livelihoods

• Household assets, entitlements and access to collective assets, and access to market opportunities
• Livelihood activities
• Income

PART 2: PARTICIPATORY FOREST MANAGEMENT: THE FIELD REALITY
CHAPTER 6: COMMUNITY FORESTRY IN THE NEPAL HILLS: PRACTICE AND :LIVELIHOOD IMPACTS
Jagannath Adhikari & Om Prakash Dev

• PFM Policy and Context
• Introduction - Socio-Economic and Political Profile of Nepal's HIlls
• Overview of Forests
• Recent forest policy and issues
• PFM implementation processes and practices
• Land tenure
• Spatial and temporal variation: Direction of policy
• Research Methodology
• Outcomes and Impacts
• Processes of local forest management institution
• Impact on forest
• Livelihood impacts
• Governance and the Policy Processes: Explaining the Livelihood Impacts
• Policy and governance processes
• Major policy actors, their changing characteristics and influence
• Politics of information and knowledge about forest management
• Action for policy change and practices
• Main opportunities and constraints to PFM achievement
• Explaining the existing PFM policy trajectories and their impacts
• What is 'best' PFM practice under different (often hostile) conditions, and how can it be scaled up or replicated?
• Conclusion

CHAPTER 7: PARTICIPATORY FOREST MANAGEMENT IN THE NEPALESE TARAI: POLICY, PRACTICE AND IMPACTS
Binod Bhatta, Akhil Karna & Om Prakesh Dev

• Overview
• Policy and Context in the Tarai
• Introduction: Socio-economic profile of the tarai and politics
• Overview of forests today
• Role of forests in agrarian livelihoods
• Present policies and major policy issues
• Spatial and temporal variations and policy directions
• Sample villages and community forests
• Outcomes and Impact
• Processes: Local forest management institutions
• CFUG Governance process: Transparency, participation and accountability
• Impact on the forest
• Impact on livelihoods
• Explaining Policy, Practice and Impact: Governance and Policy Process
• Policy and governance processes
• Tenure issues
• Major policy actors, their changing characteristics and influences at different levels
• Politics of information and knowledge of forest management in the tarai
• Actions to be followed for policy change
• Conclusion

CHAPTER 8: JOINT FOREST MANAGEMENT IN WEST BENGAL
Ajit Banerjee

• Overview
• The Context of JFM Policy in West Bengal
• Socio-economic profile of the state and its politics
• Overview of forests in the state
• Role of forests in agrarian livelihoods
• Review of forest policy and implementation
• Outcomes and Impacts
• Local Forest Management Institution in the Sampled Villages
• Impact on households
• Policies, Practices and Impacts; Governance and the Policy Process
• Policy and the governing process
• Tenure and legal issues
• Major Policy Actors, their changing characteristics and influences at different levels
• Politics of information and knowledge about forest management
• Actions undertaken by the research team to identify measures to improve processes
• Recommendations

CHAPTER 9: FORESTS AND LIVELIHOODS IN ORISSA
Kailas Sarap

• Summary
• PFM Policy and Context
• Introduction: Socio-economic profile of Orissa
• Overview of forests
• The role of forests in agrarian livelihoods
• Review of forest policy and major events
• Sample villages and their forests
• Outcomes and Impacts of PFM
• Local forest management institutions
• Impact on households
• Impact on forest
• Policies, Practices and Impacts; Governance and the Policy Process
• Policy and governance process
• Major policy actors, their changing characteristics and influences at different levels
• Decentralized local government and participatory forest management
• Main opportunities and constraints to improved PFM
• Policies and future strategies
• Conclusions

CHAPTER 10: PARTICIPATORY FOREST MANAGEMENT IN ANDHRA PRADESH: IMPLEMENTATION, OUTCOMES AND LIVELIHOOD IMPACTS
Madhusudan Bandi, V.M Ravi Kumar, M. Gopinath Reddy, M. Srinivasa Reddy, V. Ratna Reddy & Oliver Springate-Baginski

• Summary
• The Context of PFM Policy in Andhra Pradesh
• Socio-economic profile of the state
• Overview of forests in Andhra Pradesh
• Role of forests in agrarian livelihoods
• Review of forest policies and major events with timeline
• Recent policy changes
• Direction of policy
• Methodology
• Outcomes and Impacts of PFM
• JFM processes in Andhra Pradesh: Local forest management institutions
• Effective forest protection
• Markets for forest produce
• Podu (shifting cultivation), encroachment and rehabilitation
• Podu/encroachment and JFM in the study villages
• Livelihood Impacts
• Changes in Household Assets and Entitlements to Collective Assets
• Changes in household income
• Impact of JFM on Forests
• Explaining Policy, Practice and Impacts on Governance and the Policy Process
• Policies and governance processes
• Tenure issues
• Major policy actors
• Politics of information and knowledge about forest management
• Major changes in actions
• Intersectoral coordination
• Main Opportunities and Constraints of PFM
• Future Strategies

PART 3: ANSWERING THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS
CHAPTER 11: COMPARATIVE POLICY AND IMPACT ISSUES
Oliver Springate-Baginski & Piers Blaikie with Ajit Banerjee, OP Dev, Binod Bhatta, Ratna Reddy, Gopinath Reddy, Sushil Saigal, Kailas Sarap, Madhu Sarin

• Introduction to Part 3
• Regional Variations in the PFM 'Deal'
• Institutional and Forest outcomes and Livelihood Impacts of PFM Implementation
• Institutional Outcomes
• Forest outcomes: Changes in forest management and forest condition
• Livelihood impacts
• Proximate Causes of Policy Impacts and Recommendations
• Pressures for Reform versus Institutional Inertia in Forest Administrations
• Green felling bans
• Fiscal crisis
• Human resource management, transparency and corrupt practice
• The Supreme Court and Tribal Forest Rights Bill processes
• Panchayat Raj Act implementation
• Mobilization of PFM networks
• Industrialization process in forest areas
• Central funding to JFMCs through Forest Development Agencies
• Conclusion

CHAPTER 12: PARTICIPATION OR DEMOCRATIC DECENTRALISATION: STRATEGIC ISSUES IN LOCAL FOREST MANAGEMENT
Piers Blaikie & Oliver Springate-Baginski

• The Key Argument
• Participation in forest management
• Participation: The tarnishing of an idea
• Is PFM a confidence trick?
• Is participation salvageable?
• Knowledge creation
• Prospects for reforming key underlying problem areas