The collaborative or 'co-management' of natural resources is a process of collective understanding and actions by local communities and other social actors. This book is designed for professionals and people involved in collaborative management processes. It distils the experience and approaches developed by people who have learned by doing.

The collaborative or 'co-management' of natural resources - whether between states and local communities or amongst and within communities themselves - is a process of collective understanding and actions by local communities and other social actors. The process brings about negotiated agreements on management roles, rights and responsibilities, making explicit the conditions and institutions of sound decentralized governance.This book is designed for professionals and people involved in collaborative management processes. It distils the wealth of experience and innovative approaches developed by people who have learned by doing. It begins by offering a variety of vistas, from broad historical and equity considerations to in-depth co-management examples. Illustrated in detail is the understanding accumulated in recent decades on starting points for co-management, prerequisites for successful negotiations as well as rules, methods and conditions for the negotiations. Methods and tools, such as practical checklists distilled from different situations and contexts, are offered throughout and examples of specifics agreements and pluralist management organizations are discussed.

Introduction
Part I: Towards a Contextual Framework
Managing Natural Resources
Actors, Entitlements and Equity in Natural Resource Management
Co-management of Natural Resources
Part II: Towards Effective Processes
A Point of Departure
Preparing for the Partnership
Negotiating the Co-management Agreement and Organization
Part III: Towards Effective Institutions
Co-management Agreements
Co-management Organizations
Learning-by-doing in Co-management Institutions
Part IV: Towards an Enabling Social Context
Natural Resource Policy and Instruments
Empowering Civil Society for Policy Change
Conclusions
References.