Abstract The first part summarises the origins, definitions and debates around the general notions of development, culture and associated more specific concepts such as identity, tradition, xogenous and endogenous knowledge, institutions, governance or territoriality. A second part highlights how culture and development got related to the debates around sustainable governance of natural resources and forests. The third part illustrates on the basis of a case study from Kenya and Bolivia how culture as a transversal element of forest governance is expressed in empirical terms. Moreover it is shown how the cultural dimension affects positively or negatively the outcomes of culturally shaped forest governance outcomes and the
role these effects play in shaping the sustainability of the socio-ecological systems of forests in Africa and South America.