New paper on polycentric forest governance and Indigenous Peoples

[Dipika Adhikari]

Dear colleagues,

I’m pleased to share my new paper, Polycentric forest governance for social equity of Indigenous Peoples? A critical appraisal.

This review examines scholarship on polycentric forest governance to assess how polycentric institutional arrangements and governance mechanisms shape social equity outcomes for Indigenous Peoples. It identifies key empirical and theoretical gaps and proposes a research agenda to strengthen the bridges between polycentric governance theory and Indigenous environmental justice.

The paper is available at the following link: https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cfa/ifr/2026/00000028/00000001/art00001

I hope this research contributes meaningfully to ongoing discussions on polycentric commons, rights-based conservation and Indigenous environmental justice.

 

Warmly,

Dipika

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Dipika Adhikari, PhD

Environmental Governance and Development I Crawford School of Public Policy I The Australian National University

Research Assistant, WASSAN in collaboration with Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and University of Minnesota

Deputy Coordinator, IUFRO Rural Governance and Forest Tenure in the Tropics

Honorary Research and Policy Associate, ARPAN (Association for Rural Planning and Action)

Professional site

Recent work:

Critical Polycentric Governance: Indigenous Peoples’ Tenure Security in India’s Forest

Polycentric forest governance for social equity of Indigenous Peoples? A critical appraisal

Indigenous women’s struggle for forest rights in India

Rights to land lies in rights to self-determination: The struggle of India’s Van Rajis

The Great Illusion: How Misframed Adivasi Forest Rights Threaten Culture and Conservation?