It is unfortunate that there is still no proper awareness of the joint forest management programme (JFM) in the State even though the Karnataka Government launched the programme many years ago. According to a recent study, both the people and the forest department officials are yet to fully understand the nature of the programme. The findings of the study may not be completely representative as it was conducted only Belgaum and Kolar districts and covered only 13 village forest communities (VFCs), out of 2700 VFCs in the State's 24 districts.But even if the findings are true only in the areas where the study was conducted, the low level of awareness is a matter of concern.......editorial