This policy report explores three examples of community forest management (CFM) in Asia: Bangladesh, India and Indonesia. Each has a different system of forest governance, with varying degrees of community management and success. Local systems will be a key to the successful outcome of any global efforts for carbon payment schemes in developing countries. The challenges confronting these case studies, and the implications for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (REDD+) governance, are discussed in the conclusion.