ABSTRACT
The van panchayats of Uttarakhand, India, are among the oldest examples of formalised community forest co-management in the world. In the Kumaon Himalayas, van panchayats are a cornerstone of conservation and rural livelihoods alike. If supported by an empowering regulatory landscape, van panchayats may be the institution best poised to effectively safeguard biodiversity and human well-being. However, challenges such as tenure insecurity, erosion of statutory management rights, rural outmigration, and global environmental change processes currently threaten the viability of these institutions. Situated in the broader context of community forest stewardship in India, this embedded case study draws on qualitative social science methods – ethnographic fieldwork conducted from November 2019 to January 2020 in Johar Valley, Uttarakhand – to examine the structure, function, and stewardship of the region’s van panchayats. Grounded in the perspectives of local forest stewards, this chapter asks: how do forests care for mountain people, and vice versa? How are van panchayat leaders in Johar Valley responding to emerging challenges? Finally, how might the van panchayat as a stewardship model be revisited to accommodate the changing needs and aspirations of local people?
