The Country Case study for India was prepared with an objective to undertake a critical examination of the way forestry is organized in India and to examine the extent to which the institutional arrangements for forests are changing. This was done to address the latest thinking emerging from the Sustainable Forest Management and Ecosystem Approaches concepts.
The case study specifically included the following:

• A description of the overall context in which an Ecosystem Approach to Sustainable Forest Management is being implemented within the region (government agencies, industrial sector, non-industrial private sector, forest ownership and property rights), and to what extent it is being implemented.
  
  
• An outline of what an Ecosystem Approach to Sustainable Forest Management actually means in terms of its implementation on the ground. In particular, it explained the following questions:
  
  
• Who are the stakeholders involved, what are their specific roles, and how have those roles been defined?
• How have stakeholder attitudes and practices been affected, what institutional changes have taken place, and how critical were they in delivering on-the-ground implementation?
• What is the nature of the obstacles that have been encountered? What mistakes have been made and what are the key lessons learnt from those mistakes?
  
  
• A discussion of the drivers of change, including:
  
  
• What were the important factors that led to the adoption of an Ecosystem Approach to Sustainable Forest Management?
• To what extent was the major contributing factor a significant problem or crisis?
• What role did major environmental challenges such as climate change and threats to biodiversity play, if at all?
• What role, if any, did new governance arrangements (deconcentration, devolution, democratic decentralisation) play in helping to establish an enabling environment?
• Were relevant decisions taken in a top-down or bottom-up manner and who were the principal decision-makers?