Local institutions for sustainable management of common property resources: Learning from Nubra valley in Leh district, India

Abstract

<span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";="" mso-bidi-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-ansi-language:en-gb;mso-fareast-language:="" en-us;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="" lang="EN-GB">In risk-prone high altitude areas like Ladakh many resources, including highland pasture lands, groves for fuel wood, and irrigation waters, are held in common. The common property regime helps local inhabitants access different eco-environments and thus reduces risk and vulnerability. There are norms and regulations for sustainable management of such common property resources. In this paper, we focus on local institutions for management of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">tsogs</i> (forest groves) in the Nubra valley of Ladakh. The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">tsogs</i> provide local people with their required fuel wood, pasture land for animals, as well as aesthetic beauty in this cold desert area. During the early 1980s these <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">tsogs</i> were an unregulated ‘open assess resource’, and over the time due to various contextual factors there was over exploitation of these forest groves for commercial purposes, and their sustainability was threatened. To combat this problem, this open assess resource was converted in to a common property resource, with institutional norms enacted for its sustainable use. We discuss the various types of norms and regulation patterns related to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">tsogs</i> management including the various stakeholders included, and their respective rights and duties. The unique and effective way of peer monitoring/ self discipline among the appropriators was found to be the prevalent monitoring mechanism, devoid of any formal and tangible monitoring system. Similar systems can be developed and replicated in areas with similar geography and context.</span>