Over the past 100 years, there has been a steady process by which natural resources have been increasingly managed by centralized institutions. Governments and other national agencies have argued that this promotes efficiency and equity. Recently this orthodoxy has been challenged by experiments that show how centralized management tends to fail. Global, national and local goals are more likely to be met, at lower cost and with other benefits (such as promoting better democratic institutions) by involving local populations in collaborative management agreements. This volume, based on detailed case studies from around the world, subjects some of these experiments to critical study, and suggests limits to the participative approach as well as ways it can be improved and made suitable for new contexts.

Attempts to manage natural resources through collaboration rather than competition, by agreements rather than conflict, have become the touchstone for many who see these efforts as the harbinger of global sustainable development. The contributors to this volume advise caution as well as optimism for projects conducted in this way. By drawing on the experience of NGOs, national governments, and donor sectors as well as academic researchers this volume analyzes the theory and practice of participatory natural resource management and demonstrates the value of constructive dialogue between all those involved.

Attempts to manage natural resources through collaboration rather than competition, by agreements rather than conflict, have become the touchstone for many who see these efforts as the harbinger of global sustainable development. The received wisdom suggests that participatory natural resource management projects work because traditional knowledge of the resources and existing social structures can be utilised to develop more effective strategies for resource use. Participation is a flexible and adaptable concept, which can reflect local circumstances and priorities. The contributors to this volume advise caution as well as optimism for projects conducted in this way. By drawing on the experience of NGOs, national governments and donor sectors as well as academic researchers this volume analyses the theory and practice of participatory natural resource management and demonstrates the value of constructive dialogue between all those involved.