Abstract

This paper examines community-based resource management (CBRM) as a mechanism for climate resilience through a comparative analysis of commons governance in India and selected Eurasian regions, particularly Central Asia and Mongolia. It focuses on the ways in which local institutions regulate access to and use of shared resources such as pastures, forests, and water systems under conditions of increasing climatic stress.

The study is based on a qualitative and comparative approach, drawing on secondary literature, institutional analyses, and documented case studies from both regions. It engages with scholarship in development economics, environmental studies, and commons theory, with particular attention to the governance of common-pool resources. Case material from Rajasthan and Maharashtra in India, and from Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan in Eurasia, is used to examine patterns of institutional organization and adaptation.

The paper argues that CBRM systems across these regions share key governance features, including collective decision-making, customary norms, and community-based monitoring, which contribute to sustainable resource use. Practices such as rotational access, seasonal regulation, and shared enforcement mechanisms enable communities to align resource use with ecological constraints. While mobility plays a central role in Eurasian pastoral systems, Indian commons are largely characterized by settled resource management; however, both demonstrate the importance of social capital, trust, and locally embedded knowledge in sustaining adaptive capacity.

The findings also indicate that these systems are increasingly challenged by external pressures, including state intervention, market expansion, and the weakening of traditional institutions. At the same time, emerging arrangements that combine formal policy support with local governance structures show greater potential for sustaining resilience.

By situating the analysis within the broader literature on climate adaptation and commons' governance, the paper underscores the continued relevance of community-based institutions in addressing environmental change. It highlights the need to recognize and strengthen such systems within policy frameworks aimed at promoting sustainable and context-specific responses to climate variability.

Keywords: Commons Governance, Climate Resilience, Common-Pool Resources, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Collective Action, Institutional Economics.