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This study tests (a) whether participation and leadership styles vary in different forms of community forestry, and (b) whether the leaders’ styles, members’ psychosocial closeness with the leader, and leaders’ attributes influence people's participation. In a survey of 397 members from 17 forest protection units in three states of eastern India, participation was found to be significantly higher in indigenous community forest management than in crafted and joint forest management. In indigenous and crafted forest institutions, leaders were predominantly participative, which was not the case in joint forest management.Irrespective of forest institutions, participative and charismatic leaders enhanced participation whereas authoritarian and manipulative leaders dampened it. Members perceived more psycho–social closeness to participative and charismatic leaders, and such leaders possessed more personal virtues than their authoritarian and manipulative counterparts.

This study tests whether participation and values favouring forest protection vary in different forms of community forestry, and whether members' identification with institutional values and forest central ity determines people's participation. Three hundred ninety seven members from 17 forest institutions and their leaders were interviewed. Participation was significantly higher in indigenous community forest management than in crafted community forest management and joint forest management. Values of 'livelihood security from forest', 'sacrificing the present benefit', and 'avoidance of free riding' emerged as important for indigenous and crafted community forest management compared to joint forest management. Members' identification with institutional values and centrality of the forest to the lives of members in forest institutions were higher in indigenous and crafted community forest manage ment than in joint forest management. Irrespective of forest institutions, the higher the value congru ence and centrality of the forest, the higher was people's participation.