Who we are
What is the Common Ground Initiative?
Common Ground is a collaborative initiative to shift how change happens in the governance of India’s natural resources. The initiative brings together civil society, governments, market actors, and technology communities to address systemic barriers — from exclusion and ecological degradation to fractured and siloed systems of environmental governance and rural livelihoods. At its core, Common Ground invests its efforts in responsive social infrastructure, open public goods, and plural, self-governed networks to tackle the interlinked crises of climate, livelihoods, and equity.
We are a growing network of civil society, market, government, and technology partners committed to decentralised, inclusive governance of India’s Commons.
Through the Collaborative, partners co-create strategies, lead Working Groups, and share accountability for outcomes. A broader Alliance supports ecosystem-wide shifts through learning, co-creation, and collective influence. This structure allows for distributed leadership and diverse approaches while keeping trust, agility, and shared purpose at the centre.
Where we work
We began exploring geographies and identified two broad categories with a predominance of Commons:
1
Forest and tribal dominated landscapes in central India
2
Pastures and mixed farming systems in the dry peninsular central India
We are exploring expanding into mountainous regions and geographies with a high concentration of inland waterbodies.
We are working with partner organisations in Jharkhand, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu to strengthen landscape-level strategies by
integrating commons-based approaches into existing agricultural, livelihoods, and natural resource programmes.
This includes expanding tenure rights recognition under the Forest Rights Act and co-designing next-generation interventions to support ecological restoration, improved local self-governance, and increased rural incomes.
Alongside partners such as the Centre for Research in Schemes and Policies (CRISP), we are beginning to explore possibilities in Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana, guided by partner interest and the potential for landscape-level collaboration.
Our presence
Click on the states to see where we work, and our partners’ presence.
Ladakh
Jammu & Kashmir
Punjab
Himachal Pradesh
Uttarakhand
Delhi
Rajasthan
Haryana
Madhya Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Gujarat
Maharashtra
Jharkhand
Chattisgarh
Tripura
Mizoram
Manipur
Nagaland
Meghalaya
Arunachal Pradesh
Assam
Sikkim
Andaman Nicobar Island
Tamil Nadu
Kerala
Andhra Pradesh
Telengana
Goa
Karnataka
Odisha
West Bengal
Bihar
Lakshadweep Islands
The Collaborative
Our funders
Enabling a shared imagination of what
we can do together
Common Ground is supported by a diverse group of funders who share a commitment to inclusive governance, ecological restoration, and strengthening rural livelihoods through collaborative action.
Quick updates
EVENTS
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28/29 July 2025
Living Landscapes
Common Ground focuses on restoring the value of the Commons in public thinking, rural development, and governance systems. This includes:
Living Landscapes, a lean backbone organisation, anchors the Common Ground initiative by providing leadership, direction, and strategic coherence. It nurtures relationships with networks of partners, governments, philanthropy, and other ecosystem actors, and ensures regulatory compliance, while helping establish trust, agility, and diversity across the initiative. It works alongside partners to develop the capabilities that enable Common Ground to thrive.
