Can community forestry conserve tigers in India?

Active participation of local people through community forestry has been successful in several developed countries. In the early 1980's, developing countries tried to adopt this approach for the conservation and management of forests. Nepal, for example, has gained considerable support from local people by involving them in conservation policies and actions. This paper illustrates that people living near the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve/National Park in India should not be considered mere gatherers of forest products. They can also be active managers and use forest resources sustainably, which will help in the conservation of tigers.