Managing the commons—natural resources held in common by particular communities—is a complex challenge. How have Asian societies handled resources of this sort in the face of increasing marketization and quickly growing demand for resources? And how have resource management regimes changed over time, with state formation, modernization, development, and globalization? Community, Commons and Natural Resource Management in Asia brings clarity, detail, and historical understanding to these questions across a variety of Asian societies and ecological settings. Case studies drawn from Japan, Korea, Thailand, India, and Bhutan examine fisheries, forests, and other environmental resources held in common. There is a tendency to imagine that traditional communities had socially equitable and environmentally friendly systems for managing the commons, but natural resources in Asia were often under free-access regimes. Resource management developed in response to social and economic pressures, and the state has been at various times both a beneficial and a negative influence on the development of community-level systems of managing the commons. The chapters in this volume show that a simple modernist framework cannot adequately capture this process, and the institutional changes it involved.

Communities and Conservation offers a comprehensive treatment of community-based conservation efforts in South and Central Asia, covering global and regional overviews of key issues and presenting country profiles of community-based conservation.

Describes how people in rural areas can improve their living conditions and the productivity of their resources through local interventions in natural resource management. Gives examples of participatory action research from seven Asian countries.

This volume examines the management of Common Property Resources, like water, forestry, and land, and is intended to provide an account of the transformation of the commons in a rapidly changing South Asia. Contributions cover a wide range of natural resources and deal with issues such as equity, efficiency, productivity, and sustainability.

Natural Resource Governance in Asia: From Collective Action to Resilience Thinking identifies key leverage points where interventions can be made surrounding current and future impacts of ongoing environmental and sociopolitical challenges. The book utilizes case studies from Asia, a key demographic for natural resource management, that can be applied globally in understanding solutions and the current state of knowledge in natural resource dynamics. Users will find valuable sections on community forestry and socioecological systems, community irrigation, competing water demand, robustness issues, climate change, and natural resource dynamics and challenges. This interdisciplinary tome on the topic is invaluable to researchers and policymakers alike. Combines collective action and resilience thinking to help readers understand complex issues and challenges in natural resource management Presents methods and case studies to validate theory in practice Includes up-to-date research applied to current issues to address both current and future risks and uncertainties

"Redefining Diversity and Dynamics of Natural Resources Management in Asia, Volumes 1-4 brings together scientific research and policy issues across various topographical area in Asia to provide a comprehensive overview of the issues facing the region."--Page 4 of covers.