Common property resources (CPR) denote natural resources used by many individuals in common, such as fisheries, groundwater basins, and irrigation systems. They are often a major source of livelihood for the rural poor and a safety-net for food and income in bad times. However, three dominant long-term trends threatens the sustainability of the CPRs : a) conversion of common property into private and state property, with the consequent disempowerment of those most dependent on the commons, b) unsustainable use of the resources of the commons through overharvesting by the users of the commons, due to rise of the individual self-interest over collective interest, and c) unsustainable use of the commons by externals for commercial interests. Most common property lands are being reduced to open access land and are highly degraded. In an attempt to regulate CPRs, there have been many interventions attempting a collaborative management of these CPRs by the government and the host communities.

The Pragya project on Management of Common Property Resources involves study of the patterns of use and benefits of CPRs, and the indigenous techniques and evaluation of current programmes for CPR management in select areas in the Indian Himalayas. This will be followed by the design of an appropriate institutional framework for CPR management in mountain regions.


The project has three stages which are on the verge of completion:

CPR Usage Study ~ The role of Common Property Resources in the lives of mountain communities womenfolk in particular, has been studied by Pragya. The key CPR products and their patterns of use and the key users have been identified. The benefits and impacts of these CPR products for the livelihoods and quality of life of the indigenous population are being measured, in terms of the contribution of various CPR products to the incomes of different population groups, and the relationship between CPR usage patterns and economic status of the indigenous population. The impact of the patterns of use on the CPRs, the degradation and depletion of forests, grasslands and water resources, is being estimated. Evaluation of CPR Management Techniques ~ The traditional practices of managing CPRs throughout the Himalayas- sacred groves, harvesting limits, grazing rights- and their current status, has been studied. Governmental and non-governmental interventions to arrest the degradation and regenerate the CPRs- afforestation, eco-development, joint forest management- has also been evaluated in terms of their effectiveness and sustainability, as well as involvement of and awareness building among the host communities. Case studies of community evolved solutions and movements have been compiled. Institutional Framework Design ~ Through a collaborative community-based process, an institutional framework is in the process of being evolved for managing CPRs. This will include the design of composite resource management strategies, blending the traditional practices with the effective modern interventions. It will also address the issue of social infrastructure for implementing these, in terms of community structures and processes. This will incorporate the learnings from the cases studied.