Past experiences have shown that centralized management of natural resources, based on a culture of exclusion and rules, has not contributed to the sustainable management of natural resources. This important realization has led to a series of policy changes in the recent past that provides an ever-widening democratic space to the local community for articulating their needs and managing natural resources. Promotion of participatory approaches for the management of natural resources has, in recent times, gained considerable support from Governments and consequently, the number of actors in the decision making process has dramatically increased.