264 | ILDC

1. Context and Rationale

The history of community-led stewardship extends far beyond India’s varied ecological landscapes,it is a global story of how people have lived in deep reciprocity with land and water. From the sun-baked plains of Rajasthan and the dense forests of the Eastern Ghats to the ancestral ponds of Guinea’s Kankan region, local communities have long governed and restored shared resources such as forests, grasslands, and wetlands. These commons are not only ecological systems but also social and cultural legacies that sustain livelihoods, spiritual traditions, and collective identity.

In recent decades, this essential heritage has evolved. Traditional custodianship has matured into highly structured local leadership, where institutions such as Gram Sabhas, forest rights committees, and water-user associations stand at the forefront of ecological restoration, livelihood security, and social justice. Equally, as seen in Guinea, community-managed ponds have become living examples of how natural resources underpin both economic well-being and social cohesion — serving as sources of water, nutrition, and community development through shared cultural practices and local reinvestment.

Across these diverse geographies, communities are proving that stewardship thrives not in isolation but through collaboration and adaptive governance. Whether through maintaining sacred Orans, reviving rural tanks, or sustaining the ponds that nourish West African villages, people continue to blend customary wisdom with scientific insight. These grounded experiences highlight that collective agency, rooted in cultural identity and practical knowledge, is the foundation of resilient and inclusive resource management.

This session brings together such field-based stories to explore how local institutions, whether in India or beyond, navigate the intricate process of restoring their commons. Together, they reaffirm that when local communities have the authority and trust to govern their environments, they become the most effective stewards of both land and life.

2. Objectives of the Panel

To examine how local institutions enable resource restoration and commons governance across varied ecological and cultural contexts.
To analyse community stewardship frameworks (knowledge, care, and agency) in forest, water, and pasture management.
To discuss how customary and modern governance systems can be nested to strengthen tenure security and ecological sustainability.
To explore polycentric and participatory governance models that link communities, state actors, and civil society.
To identify enabling policies and institutional designs that promote community-led restoration and resource justice.

4. Expected Outcomes

This panel deepens the collective understanding of how communities, guided by both heritage and innovation, are reshaping the governance of shared natural resources. Drawing from cases that span forests, sacred groves, village tanks, and community ponds, the session emphasizes that resource restoration is inseparable from social well-being and cultural continuity. The discussions reveal that ecological renewal emerges most effectively through community-led governance, where traditional custodianship converges with participatory decision-making and local innovation. The Guinea case, for example, illustrates how ponds function as both ecological assets and engines of rural development, sustaining livelihoods while reinforcing community solidarity. Similar narratives from India demonstrate how Orans, tanks, and restored commons embody living institutions that balance biodiversity conservation with human needs. By connecting these experiences, the session seeks to identify practical frameworks for integrating cultural knowledge, legal empowerment, and institutional collaboration into resource management. It aims to shape actionable insights for policymakers and practitioners to strengthen community rights, embed stewardship into local governance, and promote inclusive, climate-resilient restoration models. In doing so, it contributes to ILDC’s broader vision of equitable environmental futures grounded in local agency, heritage, and ecological justice.