Cooperative Management of Natural Resources

by Katar Singh (Editor), Vishwa Ballabh (Editor)

Most of India′s natural resources are currently in very poor shape due to a variety of reasons, including sheer neglect, overgrazing, or indiscriminate exploitation. Because both privatization and nationalization have failed to stem the demise of natural resources, alternative ways to restore their productivity must be sought out. The contributors to this volume argue forcefully for collective or cooperative management as the most politically and socially suitable method for the management of natural resources. Beginning with an overview of the rationale for and development of the cooperative management model, this volume brings together experiences from diverse regions of India. Fourteen case studies covering a wide range of natural resources--such as wastelands, forests, groundwater, surface water, and fisheries--are examined in depth. Both descriptive and analytic in nature, these case studies present the salient characteristics of the different resources, their users, and the existing system of resource use and management. Finally, the contributors provide practical guidelines on how to organize resource users and educate them on how to manage shared resources more efficiently and equitably over the long term. An important book for development practitioners and policymakers, Cooperative Management of Natural Resources is also valuable supplementary reading for courses in natural resource economics, environmental management, agricultural economics, and rural development.

272 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1996