India, Feb. 7 -- There is an ongoing fierce debate in the country about successful strategies of natural resources management. At one end of the spectrum, we have the moral and political contract of Rousseau, where the Government has all the political legitimacy. Then there are views inspired by Hobbes, that individual actions are influenced only by their personal power and conscience. In the same vein today, we have staunch advocates of the predominant role of individuals vs the state in matters of management of forests, land, water bodies and other natural resources. The fact remains that poor forest governance can have significant negative impacts in development of outcomes on all the pillars of strategy, the environment, poverty-reduc...