Summary
This paper explores how forest governance and regulatory frameworks are transitioning into recognising rights of forest access, use and management. The report includes four case studies (The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 - India; Regulatory initiatives and selected outcomes of judicial processes in Malaysia; The Community Forest Act (2007) - Thailand; and The Indigenous People's Rights Act (1997) - Philippines) that evaluate regulatory initiatives with implications for forest-dependent communities from a rights-based perspective.