<p>The separation of land ownership and land use has resulted in the abuse and exploitation of many natural resources in developing countries. Thus, to reunite ownership with use, national governments and local communities are being forced to develop community resource management programmes. In this paper, an attempt is made to explore the tensions and contradictions of community resource management programmes. The main issue addressed is the role of government bureaucrats and community organizations in implementing grassroots development programmes. Case studies from social forestry projects in Nepal and Indonesia are presented. These studies raise questions and, in some cases, suggest solutions to problems. Issues considered are how highly centralized bureaucracies implement decentralization, how thousands of diverse village projects can be merged into a national perspective, and what national policies are needed to encourage individuals and community groups to manage local resources. Institutional rules that affect the operation of government bureaucracies and community organizations are examined and the incompatibility between the Forest Department in Nepal and the rural people is highlighted.</p>