Step 1: Think about why communities matter here.
Many communities in India live right next to forests and depend on them for fuel, fodder and livelihood, which gives them a direct stake in protecting these resources.
Step 2: Look at traditional practices.
Sacred groves in places like Rajasthan, Meghalaya and Karnataka are protected because people link them to local deities, so cutting trees there is traditionally forbidden.
Step 3: Look at organised action.
Movements such as Chipko in Uttarakhand, where villagers hugged trees to stop them being felled, and Joint Forest Management schemes that give villagers a share of forest produce in return for protecting it, show community action in practice.
Together, tradition, protest movements and cooperative management show how communities actively conserve forests.