Southern Research Station Headquarters - Asheville, NC
Main Logo of Southern Research Station, Stating: Southern Research Station - Asheville, NC, with a saying of 'Science you can use!'
[Images] Five photos of different landscape

Publication Information

Mail this page  

Title: Agency perspectives on transition to participatory forest management: a case study from Tamil Nadu, India
Author(s): Matta, Jagannadha; Alavalapati, Janaki; Kerr, John; Mercer, Evan
Date: 2005
Source: Society and Natural Resources, 18:859-870
Description: India’s Joint Forest Management (JFM) policy, in which government forest agencies and local communities jointly manage forests, has been touted as a successful strategy in helping both forests and people. Its efficacy in the field, however, is uneven. Although government forest departments are charged with implementing JFM, very little is known about their perspectives on this policy. Assessment of foresters’ perspectives on JFM in Tamil Nadu, India, revealed that despite foresters’ motivation toward implementing this policy, uncertain incentives and institutional complexities make the task complex and difficult. While decentralized decision making in the Tamil Nadu Forest Department could help mitigate the situation, the department’s culture that limits feedback in the system stands as a strong barrier against organizational adaptation. Hence, pragmatic strategies for promoting participatory forest management should focus first on improving the institutional conditions of foresters’ work in order to develop a shared vision and a unified strategy for successful action.
View and Print this Publication (137 KB)
Publication Notes:
  • We recommend that you also print this page and attach it to the printout of the article, to retain the full citation information.
  • This article was written and prepared by U.S. Government employees on official time, and is therefore in the public domain.
  • Our on-line publications are scanned and captured using Adobe Acrobat. During the capture process some typographical errors may occur. Please contact the SRS Webmaster, srswebmaster@fs.fed.us if you notice any errors which make this publication unuseable.
[ Get Acrobat ] Get the latest version of the Adobe Acrobat reader or Acrobat Reader for Windows with Search and Accessibility




Publication Links:

FIA Resource Bulletins

Publications Search


Search for on-line publications
containing the following:

 


(Uncheck this box to search all R&D Publications.)

Small logo of the USDASmall logo of the Forest Service