Political ecology and India's forests; Participatory forest management: the context of Jharkhand and West Bengal; Forest departments: changed roles, conventional goals; Forest protection committees: Forestry within the JFM boundaries; Voluntary forest protection groups: Indigenous beliefs, autogenous management; Panchayat and community forest protection groups: equity and institutional compliance in rural development forestry; Putting voluntarism to the test: case studies of NGOs in Bengal and Jharkhand; Conclusion: role of ecological institutions in participatory forest management; Bibliography; Appendices; Index
