Orissa has the unique privilege of having a large number of local self-initiated forest protection activities. These communities based forest management arrangements, popularly referred to as Community Forest Management (CFM), are based on collective efforts, and display diversity in origin, institution, management rules and regulations that are context and situation specific. CFM has had remarkable impacts on the forest resource as well as on local institutional capacity of people. Vast areas of degraded forests have regenerated all over Orissa as a result of this kind of activities. In many cases, women have also started coming to the forefront in forest protection activity which has added a beautiful dimension to the CFM activities

Communities living in and around forests are involved in conservation and management of forests and have access and rights over forests that ensure democratic and sustainable governance of forest resources. Equity, including inter-generational equity; social justice and environmental ethics are the basic principles that define the contours of Vasundhara's intervention in all aspects of our work.

CFM for a long period remained invisible. There was no acknowledgement of these efforts at any level. The potential for large-scale natural regeneration through community involvement did not seem to get the attention it deserved. It was during the early 90’s, that the founding members of Vasundhara got involved in documenting these initiatives; and perceived a need for an institutional anchor to strengthen and support these community forestry initiatives.