Optimal Utilization and Sustainable Development of Common Property Resources Through Private-Public Participation: Reference To Rural India

Abstract

Common Property Resources (CPRs) are now considered as employment-income generating social assets, a meager alternative to agriculture for the poorer sections in rural economies of developing countrie. It is allso felt that a sustainable development of these resouces is necessary for maintaining ecological balance and minimizing environmental hazards. A contradictory implication is marked when objectives of CPRs development are compared. On the one hand, CPRs as major part of natural resources are to be developed and preserved for ecological balance. On the other, so me part of CPRs are to be exploited and utilized for employment-income generation for the rural poor as well as for social consumption. Both are included in social utility function. In order to solve the abov e contradiction, we conceivc a process of optimal utilization of CPRs, which Can ensure CPRs' sustainable development. This need some special types of management procedure and management organization in which both public and private cooperation is necessary.

In this paper, an attempt is made to provide a suggestive model for managing CPRs by properly addressing the above issues. We suggest for the formation of a three-tier CPRs management organiZiltion in which public and private parties can participate actively in decision making towards CPRs' growth, preservation and consumption. The village level managment unit is called as Village Common Resource Management Organization (VCRMO). The procedural and funtional aspects of CPRs management at village level are s uggested by considering the prevailing social , economic and political environments in Indian villages. The functional aspects of CPRs management mainly cover the matters of planning for development of both waste/semi-waste CPRs lands and productive CPRs lands; and the matters of operation, direction and coordination in order to implement the plans by addressing the grass-root issues, such as people accessibility to CPRs, local and community demands, negative externalities, and so on. For an effective management of CPRs, it would require a proper valuation of CPRs and detemlination of optimal limits of exploitation of CPRs for consumption and production, and determination of the periodical investment requirements for CPRs' Sustainable development. In separate sections, the above matters are discussed and alternative methods are sugges ted for the above exercises on the basis of our grass-root experiences.