Assessing the Impact of Customary Ownership of Trees and Socioeconomic Factors on the Participatory Forest Management in Jharkhand, India

Customary ownership over trees on forested public lands is a traditional practice that grants individuals or groups rights and duties to access, use, and manage trees. This unique ownership model, where the Indian Government owns the forested land, but trees on that land are customarily owned by the households or community, plays a critical role in community participation in Participatory Forest Management (PFM). No study has yet quantitatively analyzed the relationship between customary ownership over trees and participation in PFM activities. Therefore, this study fills this gap by analyzing the relationship between households' participation in PFM, the number of trees under customary ownership on forested public lands, and socioeconomic variables in Jharkhand, India. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and participatory rural appraisal. Factor analysis and multivariate linear regression were employed to analyze this relationship. We found that households' customary ownership over a higher number of trees enabled them to earn a higher income and motivated them to relocate for better education and healthcare access, resulting in reduced PFM participation. Households with larger forest landholdings participated more regularly in PFM activities, motivated to legalize ownership of their long-used forestlands. Displaced households experienced reduced PFM participation. Higher caste and wealth groups were associated with greater PFM participation due to better resource access and stronger decision-making power. The study findings inform policymakers to improve inclusive participation in PFM activities and provide a pathway for achieving India's environmental commitments by reducing socioeconomic disparities, improving tribal livelihoods, and promoting sustainable management of forestry resources.