The desire to enhance participation in forest management has had a high profile in Indian policy-making circles since 1988 but the attempts to introduce new institutional arrangements have been poorly understood. This book brings together the results of researches in many different parts of India, giving a historical perspective on the nature of ‘the community’ which is expected to participate, as well as a theoretical discussion of possible forms that participation might take. Several of the papers attempt to unpack the discourses that have currently developed around the questions of gender, community, NGO and forest department roles and ask how these constructions actually hinder a realistic understanding of the issues involved.
