Joint Forest management, Role of Communication, and Harvesting Behavior: Evidence from Field Experiments in India

There has been much interest recently in promoting decentralization in the forestry sector in the belief that it would bring in downward accountability, which in turn would ensure economic efficiency, sustainability of the resource, and social and economic equity. Since local users are likely to have better knowledge of their needs and aspirations, decentralization could provide incentives for local communities to make locally informed decisions about resource use. In India, both Joint Forest Management and successive legislations since the Forest Policy of 1988 have indicated the Government's resolve to promote the role of local communities in the management of forests. This paper addresses the issue of whether the relationship between forest and forest-dwelling communities continues to be symbiotic, or whether it has changed due to globalization and commercialization. The findings indicate that in the case of indigenous communities, their relationship with the forest continues to be non-exploitative and non-commercial. Using field experiments as a method of investigation, the paper shows how the introduction of communication within a group of harvesters moderates and homogenizes their behavior regarding forest use. The results of the study underscore the need for and importance of programs like JFM which provide opportunities for communities to make collective decisions through enhanced communication so that they can use their resources not only sustainably but with a view to benefit sharing.