Contents: Preface. Introduction. I. Forest Management and Policy Evolution: 1. Organized Forestry Inception. 2. Forest Policy. 3. External Donors Influencing Policy. II. Forest Resource Management: 4. Forest Resources. 5. Forest Management. III. Approaches Adopted in the Past and Their Outcomes: 5. Social Forestry, Afforestation and Wastelands Development. 6. Participatory Forest Management. 7. Livelihood from Forests. IV. Forest Legislation and Governance: 8. Legislation as Instrument of Forest Policy. 9. Assessment of India’s Forest Governance. V. Emerging global Issues, Commitments and Challenges: 10. Climate Change and Forests. Appendies. Bibliography. Index. Forest Governance and Sustainable Resource Management vividly presents the current state of management and governance of forests and other natural resources in India. It focuses on the substantial underperformance and need to ensure effective implementation of the national forest policy to arrest further depletion of India’s rapidly declining forest cover. The book extensively covers the history of forestry in India, the various forest policies, the legal and management frameworks, the various international conventions and protocols for dealing with climate change and how effective forest management can enable their implementation. It recommends various strategic, implementational and governance reforms to deal effectively with the current situation. A highlight of this book is its extensive coverage of the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (REDD+), a climate change mitigation solution adopted by the United Nations, and India’s state of readiness in implementing it. The book suggests that foresters need to overcome their siege mentality and instead work towards empowering themselves to play a more proactive role in saving India’s forest resources.