Global consensus emerged in the 1990s that the key to sustainable development is local- level solutions. Such approaches are evident across a wide range of sectors and in the policies of governments, donors and NGOs. All root for shared management of natural resources across the board, based on the assumption that communities are homogenous and consensual. Yet, how real is community- consensus? Does it feed into expected improvements to the environment? Collaborative research by the UK Institute of Development Studies and research centres in India, Ghana and South Africa suggests that understanding the conflict within communities is the key: social and ecological differences are complex and cannot be ignored.