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"Why small reservoirs? Why the rural South? What is meant by small reservoir? Why such a specific topic? These are questions readers of this collection of essays are likely to ask. This special issue on Policies, Politics and Realities of Small Reservoirs in the Rural South was prompted by a simple observation: since the 1980s, the questions that revolve around small reservoirs have evolved little despite continous development and academic attention to the topic worldwide. Continuous interests and related investments in small reservoirs in the context of long-known challenges and opportunities echo an observation by Diemer and Vincent (1992) on the 'failure of collective memory and collective action' and reinforces a tendency to reiterate long-known problems in the field of irrigation in Africa."

In densely populated coastal wetlands with rich biodiversity, multiple, but generally competing, economic activities are common. This paper adopts a polycentric perspective to the study of wetlands management in India to assess the scope for sustainable and equitable use of these remarkable and threatened ecosystems. The analytical framework proves to be useful and highlights that the intertwined processes of environmental and social changes result from, and shape, governance patterns. The three wetlands studied share commonalities in their trajectories: high population pressure, the enclosure of the commons and subsequent capitalization of resources and social marginalization, conflicting interests and intense local politics, a disconnect between global conservation discourses and local concerns, weak institutional arrangements, and global economic forces. The intense politics of access, control and use of natural resources challenge the implementation of a true polycentric regime in the Indian context due to a tendency to bureaucratization and a lack of participation, and existing limits to democratic citizenship. Creating a democratic space where multiple voices can be considered in the decision-making process remains a challenge. The paper concludes that inclusion of power and politics in the study of governance of natural resources should be of prime concern for researchers and decision makers.