ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a theoretical and policy context for the research. It identifies key perceptions of the nature of state control and community dependence on forests in India. The chapter discusses the evolution of the control of the Indian state on the forested land and assesses how colonial and postcolonial forestry policies have shaped the management of forests. It also discusses participatory forestry programmes in India. The chapter argues that Social Forestry programmes, despite many failures, held positive lessons for Joint Forest Management. It introduces the institutional design of Joint Forest Management and explains inconsistencies that continue to exist in the participatory forestry framework. Environmental concerns crossed sovereign boundaries and caught the imagination of people worldwide with slogans that were designed and perfected by academics and quasi-political ecologists alike. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
