For conservation to be effective and equitable, it is important to understand (and where possible, address) the gender inequities found in the communities and institutions that IUCN engages with. A gender perspective is critical while trying to understand linkages between poverty and the environment. For instance, women often have unequal access to, control over and benefits from resources and resource use. This inequality often exists in a context of discrimination and unequal power relationships, and must be taken into account when exploring avenues of natural resource governance and tenure reform.
To take another example, men and women have different roles and responsibilities when it comes to assuring food security and nutrition. Women are active food producers, often working in small farms and gardens, and are responsible for nutrition in a majority of families. On the other hand, it is usually men who control income, resources and reproduction – which has a direct impact on women’s abilities to manage food production and security.
Gender
It is evident that a gender perspective is a must for different aspects of IUCN’s work on poverty and conservation. This will involve, for instance, a) questions on the impact of proposed interventions or recommendations on poor women; b) a focus on the use of all resources, and not just on, say, endangered wildlife; c) securing of women's access to resources and decision-making processes; and d) an integrated approach to addressing gender concerns within conservation activities and interventions rather than treating gender as a separate component or project.
Governance mechanisms must be established that address the lack of political will and capacity needed in order to achieve full and inclusive participation, accountability, transparency and equality for conservation, health and livelihoods with a gender perspective. It is imperative to build and maintain capacity of conservation staff to improve research and application of a gender-sensitive, rights-based approach into planning, monitoring, and evaluation. Opportunities for women to participate in decisions at all levels, including roles as designers, planners, implementers, and evaluators, must be ensured.
World Conservation Forum, Bangkok
The "Gender Makes a Difference for Conservation, Health and Livelihoods" global synthesis workshop duringIUCN's World Conservation forum (Bangkok, 2004) demonstrated critical linkages between gender, conservation, health and livelihood issues. Presenters showed how gender and the empowerment of women in a rights-based approach can meet the needs of people and achieve the conservation of natural resources at the same time. For example, the IPOPCORM program in the Philippines addressed gender inequities, food insecurity, reproductive health in coastal communities as a means of conserving biodiversity. The number of shallow coastal habitats protected doubled in three years in part due to an increase in the proportion of women who volunteered to guard fish sanctuaries and mangrove forests. This gender-sensitive approach also led to a 60% increase in women's income and a doubling of sustainable fish catch in the program areas due to their integrated coastal management interventions.
IUCN's work on Gender
Mesoamerica
- Gender policies of Ministries of Environment
- Working with women organizations all over the world to develop environmental indicators as input to MDGs
Southern Africa
- Developing training modules for enhancing the capacity of members to incorporate gender in their planning; facilitate gender awareness; introduce gender to project management cycle; identify opportunities for policy review, development and advocacy
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Conservation for Poverty Reduction |
