Foreward

This book examines ‘dilemmas of justice’ in participatory forest management. Many natural resource management policies aim at achieving equitable outcomes. Equity is usually understood as equality of outcomes and procedural equality. However, neither equal distributional outcomes nor procedural equality necessarily lead to equitable in the sense of ‘fair and just’ outcomes. Outcomes can be equal but not fair.This clash of equity-equality principles is described as the ‘dilemmas of justice’, and is interpreted as reflecting ‘dilemmas of justice’, outlined by Nancy Fraser (2003) in her conception of redistribution versus recognition dilemma. The book analyzes Nepal’s community forestry through political ecological lens, and explains how and why the dilemmas of justice are manifested at the local level. The book concludes by highlighting the need for a deeper understanding of, and recognition to, the local politics and wider social relations in order to eliminate the dilemmas of justice. [Book Synopsis