Routledge State, Society and the Environment in South Asia: 3 (NIAS Man and Nature in Asia)

Product Description Contemporary thinking favours local participation and local stake-holding under a decentralized, democratic framework as the just and efficient solution to contemporary South Asian environmental dilemmas and crises. In a series of case studies and more extensive audits, a group of mainly Nordic and American authors seek to substantiate, qualify or criticize this formula. Covering both urban and rural environments, the hills and the plains, the book provides insights into the actual management and mismanagement of resources in India and Pakistan. Contents Income Distribution and Environmental Degradation; The State and Local Management in Colonial Irrigation; Oral Histories of Environmental Change in Rajasthan; The Van Gujjars and the Rajaji National Park; Implementing International Regimes in India; Forest Contractors as Intermediaries in Pakistan's Forestry; Tragedy of Collective Action among farmers in South India; International production of Pesticides; Voluntary Organisations in Environmental Service Provision; The Use of Metaphor in Himalayan Resource Management. Review 'A good research book both for activists in search of detailed information about these issues in South Asia and for scholars interested in research methodologies for analysing and documenting the mulitple dimensions of the relationship between society, state and the natural environment.' - Imme Scholz, Internationales Asienforum, International Quarterly for Asian Studies About the Author Stig Toft Madsen is a research associate at NIAS (Nordic Institute of Asian Studies), Copenhagen.