<p>Managing natural resources in the countries where not only the human population but both biological and cultural diversity are quite rich and unique across the ecosystems is a challenging task. India is one such countries in South Asia which has experienced the series of historical events and so that the learning from such events to manage the resources, especially forests. Van panchayat, literally stands for village forest council in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, is one of the earliest examples of decentralized forest management anywhere in the world through formal state community partnerships. At present, there are 11,220 van panchayats distributed across 11 out of 13 districts in the state, managing both reserved forest and civil land, with the majority (84%) of the area falls under the civil land. Of total 48,487 sq. km geographical area of these 11 districts, about 9.35% area is covered under the van panchayats. The highest number of van panchayats is located in district Pauri Garhwal, followed by Almora, Pithoragarh, Tehri and Chamoli. Van panchayats help in protecting forests from illegal activities, promoting sustainable harvesting, and implementing local conservation practices. Realizing the significance of community forest management across the world, the present study aims to comprehend and analyse the historical and socio-economic dimensions of van panchayats of Uttarakhand state of India that has a legacy of more than a century. The study further examines the contribution of van panchayats in forest management and sustainable development of local communities along with the future course of actions required.</p>