The current trend of property rights reform in China is towards nationalization or privatization through the lease system. Exactly for this reason, experimentation with alternative tenure arrangements is essential. Such experimentation is particularly important when considering the high costs of supervising vast, nationalized nature reserves. Drawing on detailed case studies, Discusses the possibilities and limitations of community-based or common property arrangements for natural resource management with particular reference to grassland. It is shown that common property regimes are not a panacea for natural resource management. At times, regional conflicts over natural resources exceed the power of the village community to manage the resource in a sustainable manner. This becomes painfully clear through the eruption of fierce battles over medicinal herbs.
Keywords: common property, conflict over resources, natural resource management, rangeland degradation