The institutional fit between local-level development interventions and rural production organizations has profound implications for resource tenure and natural resource management in Mali. This review and analysis of issues in Malian resource tenure, presents the following conclusions concerning the types of institutions, levels, concepts and processes that are involved in effective resource management. The first step in the analysis is the development of a common vocabulary, set of concepts, and archetypical cases that serve as reference points in the analysis of tenure regimes and processes of resource management. This is essential to consolidate future work on this subject. A summary of essential definitions, concepts and issues are presented in subsequent pages.