Asian societies are entering a new era of decentralized governance of forests. The authority to make decisions on forest management has shifted to lower levels. of government and, in some cases, to the local people themselves. But can governments. simply d̀ecentralize ̀authority away from the center, or are there certain core. elements necessary to achieve sustainable management and conservation of forests. in a decentralized world?. This book argues that policy solutions to resource dilemmas faced by forest-accessing. rural communities must be flexible, and should allow for local dynamics and.