Community-based natural resources management (CBNRM) is an approach under which communities become responsible for managing natural resources (forests, land, water, biodiversity) within a designated area. The community-often assisted and monitored by outside technical specialists- utilizes and protects natural resources within established guidelines or according to a detailed, mutually agreed plan. The active participation of stakeholders in natural resource decision making and use increases economic and environmental benefits. Critical investment areas include the introduction of viable management systems, securing legal control over resources and resource utilization, improving environmental governance, and information management. Population growth and economic development are increasing pressure on land, water, forest, and biodiversity resources. Government attempts to conserve natural resources through top-down regulatory systems have often failed. Limited government capacity to enforce laws and regulations compounds management problems, particularly when regulations are inappropriate to the social, cultural, and ecological context. In seeking an alternative, natural resource managers have found that increasing the role of local people in managing their natural resources is often the most appropriate solution. CBNRM gives communities full or partial control over decisions regarding natural resources, such as water, forests, pastures, communal lands, protected areas, and fisheries. The extent of CBNRM control can range from community consultations to joint management or to full responsibility for decision making and benefit collection, using tools such as joint management plans, community management plans, stakeholder consultations and workshops, and communal land tenure rights. Community-based institutions are key to any CBNRM project, and selecting and building the capacity of local institutions is critical. The selection process must ensure transparency and accountability and minimize conflict. Together with decentralization reforms, CBNRM ensures stakeholder participation, increases sustainability, and provides a forum for conflict resolution. Such a community-based approach often leads to more equitable and more sustainable natural resource management for the following reasons (Brown et al. 2002; Brown 1999): Proximity to resources. Those in closest contact with, and whose livelihoods are impacted by, natural resources are best placed to ensure effective stewardship.
Equity. Natural resources should be managed to ensure equitable benefits for the diverse interest groups within a population.
Capacity. Communities often have better knowledge and expertise in the management of the natural resources than government agencies/private industry.
Biodiversity. Multiple-purpose management of natural resources by communities generally provides more varied land use, with greater species diversity than private/industrial management systems.
Cost-effectiveness. Local management may help reduce government costs.
Development philosophy. Local participation, decentralization, and subsidiarity may, in themselves, be considered important development objectives.
    
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